Persona IV
by GerbilsRival
Summary: Persona 4 re-imagined through a Final Fantasy lens. Don't need to be a die-hard FF fan to get stuff...it's mostly a Persona story.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

This story is pretty much a re-imagining of Persona 4 in a Final Fantasy universe. Everyone has a first name only, and every important character has his or her own class. I tried to stick to each characters' personalities, but I apologize if they get OOC every once in a while. Three characters' names have been changed to add to the FF air: Ryotaro Dojima is Cid, Kou is Wedge, and Daisuke is Biggs. I also made Teddie a robot, because I thought that would work best. Everyone is 5-6 years older in this story, placing most of them in their early 20s. I don't think there's anything else to add...If you have questions, just e-mail me or something. I'll try to update every week or so; we'll see.

I don't own Persona 4, Persona 3, or Final Fantasy.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle Throne Room**

The princess of Amagi gazed out the window and heaved a bored sigh. She would be meeting with the emperor soon, perhaps within the next week, in order to discuss diplomacy. The emperor had been expanding his land recently, and Amagians did not want their kingdom to be the next to come under his rule. The king and queen had asked their daughter to be their diplomat, hoping that that would appear to be a show of goodwill and trust toward their powerful ally. Princess Yukiko had been told that she would be allowed two bodyguards of her own choosing, and Yukiko had yet to decide on whom to bring.

"Ahem," someone coughed, snapping Yukiko out of her bored stupor. A rugged man was standing in the doorway to the throne room, his arms crossed. He had graying hair despite being quite young, and careless stubble speckled his chin.

"Yes?" Yukiko asked hesitantly. It was rare that anyone came to speak with her when they knew the king and queen weren't around. Her parents were visiting Port Island to discuss important affairs with Lady Mitsuru.

"Pardon the intrusion, Yer Highness," the man rumbled, scratching his chin lazily, "But I thought I oughtta ask ya about yer mode of transportation for yer meetin' with the emperor."

"I will be going by airship, of course," Yukiko replied. What else would she do, ride a chocobo? "And are you not the best pilot we have, Cid?"

"Pshaw," he chuckled, "I'm only an engineer. I do have an idea fer a pilot though, if yer still lookin'."

Yukiko raised an eyebrow in interest. Cid was rarely one to praise another's skill, much less recommend them for something he could easily do on his own.

"My apprentice could use some experience," Cid began, "An' I was hopin' you wouldn't mind lettin' 'im take ya."

"Your apprentice…?" Yukiko searched the annals of her memory rapidly, trying to recall the young man's name.

"Naoto, Yer Grace," the man supplied. "He's a good kid, an' I'm sure he'll get ya there in one piece."

"I have no objection," she declared. The pilot mattered little, really. As far as the princess was concerned, all that was important was that she get to Adachi in one piece.

Cid grunted and bowed, leaving Yukiko to her own thoughts once again. She looked out the window, but this time she turned her attention to the courtyard. Two knights were sparring heatedly and Yukiko watched, intrigued, as a new figure joined them. The newcomer was a familiar-looking girl who couldn't have been much older than Yukiko, and her gait as she approached the combatants suggested an air of confidence. _Where have I seen her before_? the princess wondered, arching an elegant brow in contemplation.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle Courtyard**

"I _said_," the girl growled, brushing light brown hair from her eyes, "I bet I can take both of you on. You're trained knights, aren't you?"

"Listen, lady, you don't look like you know the first thing about swordplay," one of the men said.

"Who said I would be using a sword?" she demanded. She began to hop from one foot to the other and raised her fists, her eyes burning with a fighter's spirit. Her heart was pounding with excitement and she was itching for a fight with these misogynist assholes.

"Both of us at the same time? That's not very sportsmanlike," the second man said. "Why don't you take her on, Biggs? You're a better fighter than me."

"Damn straight," Biggs snorted. He unsheathed his sword and let the light play off the blade for a moment. "Watch carefully, Wedge. Try to learn something from my technique."

Wedge smirked; he was willing to bet money on the girl winning this fight, because he had seen her around town before. She was the sort of person who liked to leave town to go fight monsters for _fun_. There was no way his buddy could touch her.

"Oh?" the girl asked, "Are we starting, then?"

It was over before Biggs could settle into a fighting stance. The girl sent a flying kick to his stomach and he doubled over and fell to his knees, wheezing. There was a definite dent in his armor where the girl had kicked him and the air had been completely knocked out of his lungs from the impact.

"Dammit," he swore, taking off his helmet to increase oxygen intake.

"What was that?" the girl demanded. "I've fought cockatrices that were tougher than that. What about you?" She turned to Wedge, waiting to see what his reaction would be.

"I'm not much of a fighter, miss," Wedge protested, backing away. "Biggs and I'll just be on our way, if you don't mind." He nodded curtly and went to assist his friend, who was still panting from the blow.

"Sheesh," she muttered, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. The young woman glanced up at the castle and was surprised to see someone watching her. The other woman had long black hair and a silver tiara that glinted in the sunlight. Realizing that she had been discovered, the other woman leaned further out the window.

"Excuse me," she called, "But would you mind coming inside? I wish to speak with you."

"Is that…?" the woman murmured, squinting up at the window. There was no way to tell for sure from this distance, so she jogged round to the front of the castle. Noting with distaste that the gate wasn't even guarded, she pushed it open and strutted inside. The woman who had observed her was walking toward her as quickly as her dress would allow, which really wasn't very quickly at all.

"Erm," she said, unsure of how to proceed. Was she supposed to curtsey or something? Her current attire wouldn't work well for that, and bowing would just seem weird…

"It _is_ you!" the woman cried, "Chie, it's been _ages_!"

_How does she…? Wait a sec._ Chie thought back, trying to chase a memory that nagged at the back of her mind. She remembered a girl with long dark hair…they were friends, once. Good friends.

"…Yukiko?" she asked, peering at the woman before her, "I didn't know that you were a—well, um, a-"

"A princess?" Yukiko guessed, giggling, "I probably should have told you that sooner, huh?"

"Oh my God!" Chie cried, wrapping her old friend in a tight embrace, "It's been, like, three years!"

"I knew it was you when I saw you kick that guy," Yukiko said, dragging Chie into the palace, "There's no mistaking a girl who can kick like that. You're a legend, Chie!"

"Wh-What do you mean by that?" Chie squawked, "Just because I can be violent sometimes doesn't mean that I'm the only girl who runs around kicking people!"

Both women collapsed into fits of laughter, earning them glares from anyone who happened to wander by.

"Whoops," the princess giggled, "I forgot. I need to keep up appearances in public. Come on, let's go to the throne room; no one will go there since my parents are on vacation."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that. Port Island, right?"

"Uh huh. I mean, yes. It seems like being with you again is bringing out all my old bad habits."

"I have that effect on people," Chie quipped cheerfully. "So, how are you doing? Last time I saw you, you were running around and pretending to be the inn-keeper's daughter."

"Well," the princess said, laughing nervously, "I guess I wasn't sure how you'd react if you knew I was really the princess. I-" she paused, wondering if she ought to tell the truth: that back then she had wanted to know if she could make a true friend that wouldn't just be nice to her because of her status. "Does it change anything?" she asked.

"Of course not," the other woman scoffed, "Why should it? You're still you."

"Yes, you're right. Thanks, Chie."

"Psh," Chie said, grinning sheepishly, "How did you manage so long without me to talk sense in to you all the time?"

"I honestly don't know," Yukiko admitted, grinning. "Say, Chie," she began when an idea dawned on her.

"What is it?"

"Would you mind helping me out with something? I think you'd be perfect for the job."

"Sure! I definitely can't turn down the Amagian princess!"

"Chie…" Yukiko groaned.

"I'm kidding! Now come on, tell me what you want me to do."

**Yasogami, Amagi: Outer City**

Yosuke meandered through the streets of Yasogami, whistling an invented tune. It seemed like no matter what he was doing, some song or another was running through his head, and Yosuke always felt like he had to let it out. The thief's head began to bob in time to the music, his feathery brown hair swaying as he did so. He was so engrossed in his aimless wandering and in his music that he failed to notice the shadow of someone sneaking up on him.

"Yosuke!" a voice near his ears yelled, making him shriek.

"What the _hell_, Chie?" he yelped, hoping no one had heard his unmanly outburst.

"Come on!" she laughed, "You can be mad at me later." She grabbed his arm and dragged him back up the street, despite his attempts to extricate himself from her grip.

"What's going on? Let me go! I haven't done anything wrong today!"

"I got us a job," Chie explained as they rushed through various crowds, earning them plenty of dirty looks from passersby.

"What?" Yosuke spluttered, "Where? Is it one of those hunts again? Because I _swear-_"

"Actually, we've been employed by the princess. _Move it_, would you? I'll explain as we walk but you'll have to pick up the pace a little!"

**Yasogami, Amagi: Inner City**

As they continued their brisk jog (Yosuke wondered how Chie could refer to it as 'walking'), Chie explained how she had managed to find employment. It turned out that Chie had made a friend a long time ago who turned out to be the princess of Amagi. They had run into one another after what Chie called an "unfortunate run-in with some guys who really deserved an ass-kicking", and her old friend had been so impressed with Chie's fighting ability that she had offered her a job. She had stressed that it was technically a job for two people, and that she would accept any other fighter Chie wanted to bring along.

"So," Chie concluded, "That's why I'm bringing you to her. Try to act less like a thief and more like a good citizen, or at least a decent fighter, would you?"

"What kinda idiot do you think I am?" Yosuke snapped. "I'm not gonna try and steal anything while the _princess_ is watching! Honestly…"

"Don't yell at me!" Chie retorted, "I' m the one who got us a job!"

"Say," Yosuke murmured, changing subjects, "Is she really as hot as everyone says she is?"

"Ugh," Chie moaned. "You are _unbelievable_."

They continued to bicker back and forth, even as they walked up to the castle gates. Two young men, dressed in commoners' clothes, stood by the entrance. One had short blue hair and a laidback expression, and the other had close-cropped brown hair, and he looked angry. There was a small bandage on his nose and he was ranting about something to his friend, though Chie and Yosuke couldn't make out his words. When the blue-haired boy noticed the pair, his face paled and he took a couple steps back. The angry boy whirled to find the source of disturbance, and his eyes narrowed at Chie.

"What?" Chie demanded, returned the glare.

"Come on, Biggs," the blue-haired man hissed, "Don't start another fight."

"I didn't start the _last_ one," Biggs growled.

"Are you Biggs and Wedge?" Chie asked. She had forgotten that she didn't know what they actually looked like.

"What's it to you?" Biggs snarled, but Wedge grabbed his shoulder and steered him away.

"It was nice to see you again!" he called over his shoulder.

"…And who were they?" Yosuke asked.

"Those are the guys I ran into earlier. The burly one was the one I fought, I think."

"I see." Yosuke watched the pair depart, and he found it hard to pity them. Anyone who agreed to fight Chie got exactly what they deserved; Yosuke had learned that years ago.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle Throne Room**

"Ah! You've returned," the princess cried with relief when Chie and Yosuke entered the throne room.

"Jesus," Yosuke breathed, gazing around the room in awe. His fingers itched to swipe the number of gold-plated items that dotted the room, but he controlled his thief's instinct. They were here on a different kind of business.

"This is Yosuke, Your Majesty," Chie announced, shoving Yosuke forward.

"M-my pleasure, Your Highness," Yosuke stuttered. "She's cuter than I thought she would be!" he hissed to Chie with a grin.

"I think you'll find that sound carries in this room better than one would think," the princess said coolly. Yosuke flushed with embarrassment and looked away.

"Despite his stupidity, he _is_ a good fighter," Chie assured her. "We've been fighting the monsters outside ever since we were kids."

"I would greatly appreciate your assistance," Princess Yukiko said. "Normally I would bring knights along with me, but we don't have many to spare at the moment. Therefore, I've had to rely on…mercenary assistance."

"Leave it to us, My Lady," Yosuke avowed, saluting smartly. "When do we leave?"

**Yasogami, Amagi: Hangar Bay**

Naoto sat in her study, poring once again over the new airship's blueprint. Cid had ordered her to go home a few hours ago, but Naoto wasn't the sort of person to leave a job unfinished. She rubbed her eyes to keep herself awake, though a clock chime in the distance informed her that it was well past midnight.

"Mister Naoto?" a quiet voice chirped. The young engineer glared at the door, where a small moogle had appeared.

"Why are you still here, kuma?"

The robotic moogle was Cid's invention, though he had been unable to make a perfect replica of a real moogle. The robot said 'kuma' instead of 'kupo' and took an odd pleasure in making asinine—or, rather, _ursine_—puns. He was immense help, though, so Cid refused to scrap him.

"Why aren't you on standby, Teddie?" Naoto asked. Her thick Imperial accent was one of the few reminders of her past that Naoto held on to. She had once lived in Inaba, the capitol of the Adachi Empire, but had fled the country after her parents' death at the hands of sky pirates. The incident had happened a few years ago, and Naoto had been living in Amagi ever since. The kingdom was known to be less friendly with pirates than the empire, and Naoto had hoped to find a job as a bounty hunter one day so as to get her revenge on the people who had murdered her mother and father. Her grandfather still lived in the empire, but he had gone into hiding shortly after Naoto fled, and no one had heard or seen him since. Upon crossing the border into the kingdom, Naoto had disguised herself as a man in order to elude the pirates, and everything had worked out well so far. She had landed a job as an engineer's apprentice and was put to work in the castle, learning everything there was to know about airships, all in hopes of one day taking to the skies to find the murderers who had ruined her life in the span of one terrible night.

"I saw the light on," the robot moogle explained, "And I came to see if there was a bear burglar, kuma."

"The correct term is 'cat burglar', Teddie." Naoto massaged her temple; Teddie was not making her impending headache any better.

"_Whatever_," Teddie muttered, "Cid told you to leave hours ago, didn't he?"

"I'm just double-checking the blueprints," Naoto said, "If I am to commandeer the ship taking the princess to the empire, I can't leave anything to chance."

The robot performed a realistic yawn and swiveled around on its wheels, making a squeaking sound. The fuzzy red pom-pom bounced wildly on an antenna, nearly hitting the small machine in the face.

"Have a beary good night, Mister Naoto," it called as it wheeled away, still squeaking.

"I must acquire some oil soon," Naoto murmured, staring after the moogle. The airship's plans still appeared to be flawless, so Naoto turned out the lights and made one last scan of the area before locking everything up.

The engineer felt the handle of her revolver fondly as she walked home, wondering when she would get the chance to use it. Cid didn't know she was armed because Naoto always kept the weapon out of sight, and she wasn't sure how he would react if he knew. He wasn't the sort of person who liked weapons anyway, and he was completely averse to war, so odds were that he would not look favorably on Naoto's choice to carry the gun. If he ever did find out about it, Naoto planned to just say it was for self-defense and hope the subject would drop.

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace Throne Room**

"You there," Emperor Tohru demanded, pointing to a servant, "Get me paper and a quill. And don't run off after you've delivered them to me; I'll need you to run it to the Chocobo Express." The servant bowed and hurried off to do his lord's bidding.

"That was rather brief of you," the emperor's right-hand man observed with a chuckle.

"I've decided that the Amagian princess has waited long enough. I'm scheduling a meeting with her to occur in three days' time."

"Three days…?"

"Yes, and I want you to be there to greet them. You tend to make a good impression on people."

"As you wish, sir. Shall I bring the red carpet with me?"

"_Very_ funny. Just be your polite self and I'm sure she'll be taken with you. Every other woman is."

"Is that….jealousy, sir?" The other man raised an eyebrow mockingly.

Tohru snorted. The idea of being envious of that fool was absolutely preposterous. Granted, he _was_ managing to date two high-class women simultaneously, without either of them being the wiser. But— jealous? Tohru would sooner be jealous of that moron, Taro, than of the man next to him.

"I take it by your silence that the answer is yes?"

"Go to hell," the emperor snapped. By that time the servant had returned with the stationery, so Tohru scribbled out a quick letter that requested Princess Yukiko's presence in three days. He sent the letter off with the servant and sat back on his solid-gold throne, thinking. He pressed his fingertips together lightly and rested his forehead against them.

"What now, sir?"

"Now…we wait."

**Sky, Aboard **_**the Marukyu**_

_Hi Grandma! This is Rise again! Sorry I haven't written in awhile. Kanji and I have been pretty busy lately, because ever since we got famous people won't stop leaving us alone. They think they need to 'compete' with us or stupid stuff like that. It's so stupid! Sometimes I wish that_

"Rise! Get your ass down here right now!"

Rise winced at the incredible volume that man was capable of reaching. She slid the letter off to the side of the desk and wandered over to the trapdoor on the other side of the room. She jerked it open and slid down the ladder below, landing in front of her childhood friend, Kanji.

"When I tell you to come here, I don't mean at your nearest convenience, dammit!" he snarled. "We got company!"

Rise grabbed the airship's wheel, rolling her eyes as Kanji ran upstairs to the deck to combat their latest batch of flying monsters. She wasn't good when it came to violence, but luckily Kanji was a good enough fighter to make up for that. He could use any solid object as a weapon, regardless of its size or density, and when he could not find anything to use, Kanji could just as easily use his fists. As soon as he clobbered a monster with all his might, it stayed down.

What made them such a good team was Rise's magic paired with Kanji's insane power. Rise was a blue mage, meaning that she could scan enemies and learn their abilities after fighting them. She also had a sixth sense when it came to finding treasure, which was what brought them to where they were today. Kanji and Rise were considered the world's top up-and-coming treasure-hunting duo, and it seemed that nothing could stop them from becoming the best in the land.

Kanji returned moments later, only slightly out of breath. He grinned at Rise and took the wheel back from her, twirling it expertly.

"It was dragons again," he said, though he knew Rise already knew that. Kanji just felt like bragging. It wasn't an ordinary man who could take on multiple dragons at once and emerge victorious.

"You're amazing, Kanji," Rise giggled. A touch of red appeared on Kanji's cheeks and he turned away.

"Jus' doin' what I can," he muttered. The skull-and-crossed-bones tattoo on Kanji's shoulder twitched as he unconsciously flexed his muscles.

"And you do it so well, too," Rise cooed. She laughed and jumped up onto the ladder that led up to her room.

"You sure the treasure's this way?" Kanji called. They were heading into a dense cloudbank, but Rise nodded adamantly.

"Positive."

"All right," he grumbled. Rise had promised that this treasure would be well worth the effort, and she had yet to let him down.

"Call me if you need me!" she sang before slamming the hatch.

"Wish this thing came with autopilot," Kanji mumbled, leaning against the wheel.

_Sometimes I wish that we could just take break from it, you know? Just call it quits for a while. We're just doing this for ourselves, after all, and we probably have enough treasure to live well for the rest of our lives. Heck, we probably have enough to live well in the afterlife, too. Uh oh, I sense more monsters coming, which means he's going to start yelling at me again. Don't get me wrong, I love Kanji to death, but sometimes he just…I don't know…_

Rise stared at the letter. This wasn't at all what she had intended to write, yet somehow it had all come out that way. Her grandmother would want to hear about how great everything was, not about how much Rise wanted to be done with it. She crumpled up the paper and tossed it into her trash can, taking a new piece of paper from her stack.

_Dear Grandma,_

_It's Rise again! Everything is going great, and I can't wait to see you again!_

_Love, Rise_

As they whizzed through the clouds, Kanji began to wonder how his mother was doing. They had left her, along with Rise's grandmother, back in Amagi in order to answer the call of the expansive skies. Both women had made the pair promise to write to them every month, which Rise and Kanji had done their best to keep. They had begun diligently, taking time out every now and then to send out a letter, but they were beginning to slip. After nearly a year in the sky, time started to lose its meaning and they lost track of the months. Kanji wondered if he ought to start writing a letter now, while he had some free time. Just as he started to look for something to write on, a loud crash and screech from above told him there were more pressing issues.

"Rise!" he roared, "I'm not gonna call you again!"

"I'm coming, sheesh!" Rise tossed her second attempt in with the first before hurrying back down to the wheel. She would just have to try again later.

**?**

"Hmm…"

A man with a long nose gazed at his crystal ball, observing all these events. A blonde woman stood behind him, and if she thought anything about the transpiring events she kept them to herself.

At last, the man broke away from the ball and leaned back in his chair, his expression pensive.

"Margaret," the man began, "Everything will soon be in place, and we must keep a careful eye on events as they unfold. One can never be too cautious, can one, my dear?"

"One cannot," she confirmed with a small smile.

"Now that the players are all here, how will they act?" Igor mused, grinning like a madman, "How will their interactions affect one another? Better yet, how will they affect the world? Only time will tell…"


	2. Chapter 2

Updates won't usually be this quick. I intend to update once a week or so, but these first two were originally one chapter, so I decided to release them in relatively rapid succession. Thank you to those of you who chose to review the previous chapter; I greatly appreciate it. One of you requested that I go into a bit more detail about FF, so here are explanations for the references I make:

Chocobo: A common mode of transportation in Final Fantasy; it's a big bird that I'm pretty sure is flightless. Just google it.

Gil: Currency in Final Fantasy. I'm not sure what the conversion rate is.

Biggs and Wedge: Two characters that make common appearances in FF games, named after two characters from Star Wars. Kou and Daisuke are Wedge and Biggs, respectively, in this story.

Cid: Every FF has had a Cid, and he often plays an engineer of some kind. Dojima plays Cid in this story.

There was also a question about pairings. I don't really do romantic stuff, but there will be hints throughout the story. I think the ending mentions some as well, so here are the pairings in the story:

YosukeXChie, NaotoXKanji, SoujiXYukiko, SoujiXAi, SoujiXYumi, and a reference to AiXDaisuke. There might be light TeddieXNanako later on, I haven't decided yet.

As for including the FemC from P3P: I don't plan on it. I've only played the first P3, and Minato and Aigis will be making appearances later on.

Once again, I don't own Final Fantasy or the Persona series.

*Update*

Rise's not getting paired up with anyone, sorry. I couldn't really think of anyone to put her with, other than a certain character that will be introduced soon, but...that would be weird.

Also, I'm not crossing Persona with any specific Final Fantasy. I admit that there are strong elements of 12, since that was the one I played most recently, but there are also elements of others. The class system is pretty similar to 9's, I guess, but I plan to make the summoning system more like 6's. In 6 (correct me if I'm wrong) anyone could summon, and the summon equipped on a character gave them certain skills. I think that answers all the questions...

**Amagi, Outside the Capitol**

"Pardon me," Yosuke chuckled as he snatched an egg from the cockatrice's nest. The monster squawked and made ready to lunge at the intruder, but it was slammed aside by a well-aimed kick.

"You really suck at stealing stuff," Chie called as she continued to battle the creature. "Maybe you should be quieter!"

"Pff," Yosuke scoffed, "I'd like to see _you_ get that close to the nest without that thing noticing you."

"I wouldn't _have _to, because I would kick its ass first," Chie countered. The cockatrice charged her, but Chie dodged easily and punted the bird into oblivion. Point proven.

"_Jesus_," Yosuke whistled, "You're not human. You know that, right?"

Chie brushed off her green jacket and shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked around.

"Where to next?" she asked.

"Uh…" They hadn't had a definite plan when they came out here; they had just wanted to blow off some steam before the big journey the next day. Daidara, Yasogami's best blacksmith, had forged new weapons for them after being paid quite handsomely by the princess; naturally, getting anything new made Chie want to try it out, so she had dragged Yosuke out to the Plains so that they could do some 'target practice'.

"You should practice fighting more," Chie suggested as they plodded along. Yosuke wiped sweat from his brow and glared at her.

"What's the point if you're just going to smash everything up before I can even draw my knives?" he demanded. His old knives had been practically scratch-free because he had used them so little.

"Um, hehe," Chie laughed nervously. "I won't always be around, ya know?"

"Let me handle the next enemy, then."

"Fine."

Another song started in Yosuke's head, and he soon forgot about fighting. He danced a little as they walked, sometimes flicking his knives into the air and catching them whenever it fit the beat. Chie rolled her eyes; she was used to his odd habits.

They had been friends since childhood, drawn naturally to each other as they tried to survive on the city streets. Yosuke's family had once been wealthy, but tragedy had struck the family business and overnight everything went wrong. When they ended up in the poorer part of Yasogami, their prior wealth was held against them and people turned away from them. Even Saki, who Yosuke had thought was a good friend, ignored him whenever he tried to talk to her. Her brother refused to speak to him, and Yosuke used to feel like he would go crazy if he didn't find someone to talk to.

It was then that he met Chie, a light-hearted girl who always had a joke or two ready for a depressed friend. She ran into Yosuke as he was preparing to run away from home, and the two of them became fast friends, despite frequent arguments and bickering. Chie harbored no ill will toward him or his family, and Yosuke appreciated her fierce loyalty. She would viciously defend him against people who insulted him or treated him badly and Yosuke, in turn, discovered his hidden talent for thievery. It wasn't a nice talent, but he managed to make a decent living off of it. If his parents had ever wondered where he was acquiring such odd artifacts, they kept quiet. Yosuke hadn't seen them recently because they had gone on vacation to Port Island, a beautiful resort city. It was run by a wealthy family called the Kirijo Group, and their dynasty was now in its third generation. Chie had lived only with her father when Yosuke met her, but the man had since passed away, making Chie an orphan.

"What's that?" Yosuke called, pointing to a green monstrosity stomping around in the distance.

"Dunno," Chie replied, squinting. "Are you seriously gonna go for it?"

"I bet he has some good stuff," Yosuke whispered. When it came to monsters, bigger generally meant better. And that brute was bigger than any Yosuke had ever encountered.

"You sure you don't want back up?" Chie asked, stretching her legs.

"What, you don't think I can handle that without your help?" Yosuke snapped. "You just watch, okay?"

Chie sighed as her friend slid down the cliff to engage the beast. He approached it with caution, but it didn't seem interested in him anyway.

Affronted by its apathy, Yosuke took a swipe at the creature. His new knives made barely a scratch on the monster's thick green scales.

"_That_ sure got your attention," he yelped as the monster settled its beady little eyes on him. Yosuke gulped and retreated a few steps.

"Shit, shit, shit, _shit_!" Yosuke yelled as he ran away from the gigantic lizard. There was no way in hell he could beat that thing! He saw Chie laughing at the top of the hill, mocking his efforts to outrun his pursuer.

"Let me know if you need help!" she called down to him between fits of giggles.

"I will fucking kill you if I get out of this alive!" Yosuke swore. "And if I die, I will come back to fucking haunt you!

A gunshot rang out to Yosuke's left, momentarily distracting the monster. Yosuke used this reprieve to swerve to the right and run up the hill that led to where he had originally jumped down.

Chie had stopped laughing by the time Yosuke joined her and was now watching the next battle unfold. A small man with blue clothes and hat stood alone, holding a smoking gun in his right hand. At least, Chie thought it was a man. It was difficult to see details through all the dust the green creature was kicking up.

"I'm gonna go help him," she said to Yosuke.

"Are you crazy? There's no way you could-" Yosuke just stopped in midsentence, knowing that his words were falling on deaf ears. Chie had already taken a flying leap off of the cliff and was running full-speed toward the battle.

"There's no stopping her when she gets like that," Yosuke muttered. He sat down on the cliff's edge, waiting to see what would happen.

Chie's general approach to problems like this was just a straightforward punt, and she assumed this problem would be no different. Sure, this monster was bigger than most, but so what? She grinned and readied herself for the kick, ignoring the young gunman's cries.

"I can handle this!" she heard him yell over the din of the battle. A few more shots rang out, but the monster was barely scathed by the bullets. It seemed hell-bent on getting a meal today, and it didn't care who it was.

"Hiya!" Chie cried, slamming her foot into the creature. It went flying into the cliff, dislodging a few rocks and a bit of loose earth in the process before sliding down to the ground.

"You just kicked a Tyrannosaurus Rex and made it airborne," the young man said. He stared, wide-eyed, at the unconscious dinosaur. "What are you?"

"I'm Chie," she replied, misunderstanding the question. "You?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm Naoto." They shook hands, and Chie couldn't help but notice that his skin was pretty soft, for a guy.

"I'm sure this was a lovely introduction," Yosuke interrupted, popping up beside them, "But we should get out of here before the big guy over there wakes up. You live around here?" he asked Naoto.

"Yes, actually. I live near the castle." He indicated Yasogami.

"So you're pretty rich, huh?" Yosuke asked glumly.

"I am fairly well-off, yes." Neither man seemed willing to continue the subject, so Chie opted to start a new conversation.

"Thanks for saving him back there," she said, jerking her thumb in Yosuke's direction. "Heaven forbid he asks a girl like me to help him out."

"A girl like you…?"

"Well, any girl, really," Chie continued, "I'm surprised _you_'re not dead from embarrassment."

Naoto looked uncomprehendingly from one to the other.

"Guys are supposed to be stronger than girls," Yosuke muttered, "Chie's the exception, though. But thanks for saving me," he added.

"I ought to be thanking you, as well," Naoto confessed, "I was nearly out of ammo when you arrived to assist me. I'm glad that I was able to help out."

"Aw, listen to him!" Yosuke cooed, "He has that Imperial accent! You from the empire, kid?"

"I am not a child," Naoto snapped, "And yes, I did used to live in the empire. Does this create a conflict?"

"He didn't mean anything," Chie assured Naoto, "Yosuke just talks first and thinks later."

"Oh yeah? And whose motto is 'Don't think, _feel_'?"

"Oh please, that was _years _ago…"

Naoto withstood their petty bickering until they reached the city gates, where he took his leave of them.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you both," he said, "But I must now bid you _adieu_."

"Adyoo?" Yosuke repeated. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means goodbye, idiot," Chie snarled. "Come on, let's go sell the stuff we looted. We might be able to get a few gil for it."

The Shopping District was crowded, as usual. Yosuke kept grumbling because of the weight of the loot, and Chie told him to man up or else they would leave the loot behind. She would also add that he was the one who had gathered all of it in the first place, so it was only fair that he should have to carry it. Soon enough, they found the store they were looking for, Daidara's Metalworks, and went in.

Daidara was a battle-scarred blacksmith who enjoyed dealing with adventurers. If they brought him good materials, he would agree to buy them, and he would spend hours in his shop thinking of new creations to make with what people gave him.

"Evenin'," he grunted.

"It's only midday," Yosuke argued as he hefted the bag and set it on the counter.

"I can't see the sun," Daidara grumbled, "So how should I know what time of day it is?"

"Idiot," Chie hissed, smacking Yosuke's head with the back of her hand. "What can you give us for this, Daidara?"

"You guys have been busy lately," the blacksmith said.

"Yeah, sure, but what can you _give _us, old man?" Yosuke rubbed the spot where Chie had hit him and watched Daidara warily.

"Here," the man said, handing them a small bag filled with gil. "I expect new materials from you two soon. No reason why you can't go on decent adventures like everyone else."

"Thank you." Chie grabbed the pouch of legal tender in one hand and Yosuke in the other. He had begun to drool over a pair of kunai on display, and Chie didn't want to risk getting in trouble with the blacksmith.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Hangar Bay**

"The hell have you been?" Cid growled when Naoto entered the hangar bay. The older engineer was bent over a work table, drawing something that his apprentice couldn't see.

"I went for a walk," Naoto lied. She checked to make sure that her gun would be safely hidden from Cid's eyes before joining him at the table.

The drawing depicted a human boy, and it was labeled with various scribbles and doodles, though 'TEDDIE' was scrawled clearly at the top of the picture.

"Constructing a new body for Teddie?" Naoto guessed. She had always been good at deducing things.

"Moogles are nice, but it'd be nicer to have another pair of opposable thumbs 'round here," Cid replied. "'Sides, you won't stay here forever."

"Mister Naoto, kuma!" Teddie rolled up to them, nudging Naoto's leg to get her attention.

"What do you want, Teddie?"

"Can I-" the robot paused, as though it were trying to find the right words to say. _How very human_, Naoto thought with a wry smile. "Can I come with you tomorrow? On the airship?"

"Um," Naoto glanced at Cid to see what his opinion would be.

"Don't see why not," he replied gruffly.

"I don't mind," Naoto agreed. "Just try not to bother the other passengers. Remember, we are escorting the princess tomorrow, so I'll want you to be on your best behavior."

"Don't worry!" the moogle assured her cheerfully, "I've read up on all the latest lingo and trends! But, there was one thing I didn't quite understand…" the robotic voice trailed off and Teddie lowered its eyes.

"What was that?" Naoto asked curiously.

"Mister Naoto, have you ever scored with anyone?"

"Certainly not," Naoto muttered, pulling her cap down to hide a blush. "What exactly were you reading?"

"Mister Cid left a book lying around, and it looked interesting, so I-"

"That's enough outta you," Cid snarled, slapping the off switch on the back of the robot's head.

"I'll be in my office if you need me." Naoto left Cid to his work and hurried to her destination, thinking. What was it that Cid left lying around that would mention 'scoring' with people?

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle Garden**

Biggs and Wedge sat in the garden, taking a much-deserved break after a long day of training. Wedge dunked his sweaty head into the pond and shook it off, laughing.

"You look like a dog when you do that, man," Biggs chuckled.

"Speaking of dogs, have you spoken with your ex lately?" Wedge lay down on the grass and gazed up at the clouds. The one directly above him looked a bit like a duck.

"Who, Ai?" Biggs scratched his head and sighed. "No, I haven't really talked to her since her family moved to Inaba. She's probably forgotten about me by now, anyway. She was kind of a bitch, wasn't she?"

"I'm sure she was wonderful once you got to know her," Wedge said innocently, "Unfortunately, I just never got to know her."

"Damn straight you didn't," Biggs growled. "You think I'm stupid?"

"Most days, yeah."

"Hmph. I'm not gonna take that shit from you." Biggs rose and stretched, glaring down at his friend.

"Where are you going?"

"Gonna go take a nap. Wake me up if anything exciting happens."

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle Throne Room**

Cid entered the throne room, this time after having been summoned by the princess.

"You called, Yer Highess?"

"I did, yes. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"You know me…ya just say the word, and I jump to do yer biddin'."

"…Yes." Yukiko folded her gloved hands in front of her to keep herself from wringing them. She was incredibly nervous about the meeting the next day, not to mention worried about leaving the castle without a monarch.

"I wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to stand in as king until I return," Yukiko said.

"I'm honored, Yer Highness, but why me? That idiot Kinshiro is s'posed to take over, ain't he?"

"My father trusts you more than anyone," Yukiko murmured, "And I know that trust was not misplaced. I'm certain you will handle all affairs to the best of your ability."

"Right," Cid muttered, abashed. He scratched the back of his neck and turned his head away from the princess, hoping she wouldn't see his embarrassment.

"Forgive me for asking such a thing of you. I wouldn't have done so if I hadn't thought you'd be the perfect man for the job."

"Yer too kind," the man said, his ears turning pink. "No need to make my noggin any larger'n it is…"

"Then you'll do it?"

"Course I will. You can count on me, Yer Majesty."

"Thank you. I always knew that I could."

**Sky: Mysterious Island**

"Whoo!" Kanji laughed as he and Rise disembarked on the strange floating island. That the island was floating wasn't strange; they ran into that sort of thing all the time. Rise couldn't suppress a shiver as she joined her companion on the ground. Something was very strange about this place.

"Even I can sense the treasure here," Kanji said, beaming. "This sorta thing just gets my blood pumpin', ya know? Makes me feel like a man!"

"I'm not sure I can relate," Rise confessed. Kanji ignored her and busied himself with securing the ship's anchor.

"So what are we lookin' for, here?" he demanded excitedly as they set off down the path into the sprawling jungle.

"I can't tell yet," Rise said. "This place is dangerous, though, so we'll need to watch our step."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Kanji managed to step on a hidden hole in the ground, falling a good four feet into empty air.

"The hell?" he roared as he climbed out of the pit.

"Did you not hear what I _just_ said, Kanji?" Rise yelled. "I said, '_Watch your step'_!"

"You think that was a trap?"

"Could just be that you're stupid," Rise muttered.

"H-Hey, I heard that!"

**Yasogami, Amagi: Hangar Bay**

Yukiko listened to her two bodyguards arguing about seating arrangements as they made their way down to the hangar bay, and she was getting ready to smite them both with magic if they didn't shut up soon. She enjoyed their company, because she didn't know many people her own age, but they seemed extra-quarrelsome today. The princess put it down to nerves and hoped that they would calm down once they were in the air.

"All I'm saying is, she ought to sit between us!" Yosuke said, "That way, we can protect her on either side.

"There's no way I'm letting you sit next to her, you pervert!" Chie argued back, "I'm sitting between you!"

"_Listen_," Yukiko snapped, abruptly ending the bickering, "I don't care how we sit when we get there. Let us just concentrate on _getting there_ for now. In silence, if you don't mind."

"Ahem." A small moogle appeared before them as they neared the hangar bay. He bowed low to Chie.

"Good morning, Princess," he said, bringing her hand to his…mouth area. "I trust you are prebeared, kuma?"

Chie gaped at the small creature, but she was unable to make any formulate any words to express her surprise.

"Excuse me," Yukiko said, tapping the moogle's shoulder.

"Ooh!" he cried in delight, "I wouldn't mind scoring with you, kuma!"

"I-I beg your pardon?" Yukiko glanced at Chie, but the other girl was just as confused as she.

"Ah, my manners, kuma! I want to score with you too, Princess," the moogle declared, turning back to Chie.

"Wha…?" Yosuke observed the scene in a stunned silence. What was that moogle doing here? And what was he talking about with this scoring business?

"Teddie!" a voice cried, and the hangar bay door swung open.

"Psst, Chie!" Yosuke hissed, "It's that shrimpy gunman we saw yesterday!"

"I beg your pardon?" Naoto demanded as he approached. "Please don't give people bizarre nicknames you make up on the spot. My name is Naoto, and that robot there should _not_ have left my sight."

"Mister Naoto, kuma!" Teddie squeaked. He attempted to shield himself behind Yukiko, but Chie picked him up with one hand and deposited him in the engineer's arm.

"Again, thank you," Naoto murmured. "I expressly asked him not to do this…"

"You're the pilot, are you not?" Yukiko asked as Naoto led them back to the hangar bay.

"That is correct, Princess Yukiko. I can assure you that the airship is top-of-the-line and that I have double- and triple-checked for any conceivable problems. The only foreseeable problems," he added, "Would be attributed to this little fellow right here. He was a bit of a last-minute addition, and he's not good with obeying orders. Only Cid's daughter, Nanako, has any kind of control over him."

"Nanako?" the robot's tone brightened at hearing the girl's name. "Is she here, kuma? Is she coming too, Mister Naoto? Mister Naoto, kuma! Can Nanako come, too?"

"Certainly not." A cold look from the engineer effectively silenced the robot, but Naoto knew it wouldn't last long.

"Sorry for stickin' you with 'im, Naoto," Cid called from his office. "I think I'll get a lot of work done while yer gone, though! Might even finish 'is new model!"

"Fantastic. Now, Your Highness, your vessel is over here." He showed them a beautiful, sleek airship. Yukiko gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, but Chie and Yosuke just gaped.

"Shit," Yosuke breathed.

"That's ginormous," Chie agreed, equally breathless.

"It is large," Naoto said uncertainly. "We can board as soon as you like."

"What's her name?" Yosuke asked as he stroked the airship tenderly. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his whole life.

"Um," Naoto took a piece of paper out of his pocket and scanned it quickly. "This is model UEA183."

"The hell?" Yosuke snapped, "That's not cool at all!"

"I'd like to see you pick a better one," Chie scoffed.

"Oh my God, not this again," Yukiko groaned.

"How about the_ Junes_?" Yosuke suggested. He looked rather proud of this idea, though none of them could see why.

"Is there some significance to that name?" Naoto asked.

"Naw, but it sounds cooler than that garbage you said earlier."

"All aboard the _Junes_, then," Yukiko declared. She was incredibly eager to be done with this journey, and they hadn't even left the castle yet.

**Inaba, Adachi: Residential Area**

"Mmm," Ai groaned when the person beside her stirred, waking her up.

"Sorry," he muttered as he got out of bed. He went over to the closet that held his clothes, walking quietly so as not to disturb her further.

"What the hell are you doing this early in the morning?" Ai grumbled sleepily.

"I need to go to work," he informed her as he finished slipping on the rest of his suit. Another day, another gray suit.

"Today? I thought we had plans today…" Ai sat up in the bed, trying to get her bearings.

"I'm afraid we'll have to postpone them," her gray-haired lover said with an apologetic sigh, "The emperor has asked that I be present today to help him work with Princess Yukiko of Amagi."

"Hmph," Ai pouted, "What does she have that I don't have?"

"Certainly not your beauty," the man said with a smile. He swept down and kissed Ai's cheek, making her wish he could stay.

"When will you be back?" she whispered. Ugh, she hated how desperate she sounded after saying that. As if she _needed_ him.

"As soon as this diplomacy nonsense is settled, I will return," he promised, his deep voice sounding particularly seductive. Ai shivered at the promise his voice held, and she could not help the smile that crept across her face.

"People told me I was stupid to fall in love with you."

Her lover could only laugh as he waltzed out the door.

The woman clutched the blanket around her, still smiling to herself. They were just jealous, that was all. They were jealous that a small-town nobody had appeared one day and had captured the heart and body of the emperor's right-hand man.

"Come back soon, Souji," she breathed before sleep claimed her once more.


	3. Chapter 3

Well, it's that time I suppose. Here's the third chapter, and it's a bit shorter than the other two. There's a bit more going on, though...so there's that.

First, there's a couple things I want to clear up that I forgot to before:

Moogles: I realize I had forgotten to explain these before. Again, a google search could probably show you better than I could describe them, but if you're too lazy for that I understand. Moogles are small rodent-things (usually 1-2 feet in height) that have a pompom coming out of their head. They can be found in most, if not all, FF games and FF spin-off series.

And regarding Souji...Don't think too much about him, I guess. He's actually not the main character here, and his general purpose in the story is to help move the plot along. As for his two-and three-timing people...there are no penalties for that in the game, so I wasn't planning to put one in here. If you guys are outraged over his behavior, though, I suppose I could write one.

Fun fact about this chapter! I originally wanted to give Souji a scene with every girl he could get with in the game, and it kind of shows in this chapter. However, my friend said that the SoujixNaoto scene (my favorite couple, personally) came off as too fangirl-y, so I scrapped it and changed to what you'll soon see.

Also, imaginary high-five if you can guess who the new character is!

(I don't own P4, P3, or FF)

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace Throne Room**

Emperor Tohru paced frantically in his throne room, and every now and again he would run his fingers through his shaggy hair in distress. Princess Yukiko was bound to arrive at any time, but Souji had yet to show up. If Souji didn't show up on time, Tohru would have to send someone else out to greet the princess. That spelled certain disaster; no one had Souji's magical charming talent. This whole deal could fall through if the princess wasn't in _exactly_ the right mood, and If Souji didn't show up in the next five _seconds_, Tohru would-

"Sorry I'm late," a voice called. Souji entered the throne room, straightening his tie as he walked. His cheerful smile faded when he saw the emperor pulling at his own hair and muttering to himself like a madman.

"Where have you been?" Tohru practically shouted. "I was at my wit's end because of you! Get down to the dock right now! The princess is due to land at any second, and-"

"I'm on my way," Souji interjected smoothly. "You might want to sit down for a moment, sir. You look like you're about to go postal."

Tohru grudgingly followed his friend's advice and threw himself down into his throne. There was no room for error today.

"Thank God for Souji," he murmured. That man was an absolute godsend when it came to political matters.

**Sky, Aboard the Airship**

"I'm really sorry," the princess said for the umpteenth time. Naoto waved her apology aside and returned her gaze to the sky before them. They would be reaching Inaba soon; having managed to avoid a potentially disastrous storm thanks to Naoto's excellent piloting abilities.

"You were not aware of their natures when you hired them, I presume?" Naoto glanced at Chie and Yosuke, who were engaged in a heated argument.

"Chie's an old friend," Yukiko explained, "And she said that Yosuke was a dependable fighter. And yet, why would she want him to come along if this is how they act? I'm sure they're both wonderful, but…"

Naoto allowed the woman's thoughts to trail off, because she knew what the princess was trying to say. _They were wonderful people, but only if dealt with separately._

"The _Dragon_? Do know how stupid and unoriginal that name sounds?" Yosuke was yelling. They had started to bicker over Yosuke's idea for the ship's name. Since Naoto had yet to paint 'Junes' on the ship's hull, Chie considered the topic open to debate.

"Well at least it's a _word_," Chie snapped, "You can't just make up something on the spot and expect people to respect it! People respect dragons, though."

Teddie watched the exchange with poorly-concealed fascination. Since he had spent all of days with Cid, Nanako, and Naoto, he had never seen such a heated debate. Every now and again he would toss out his support to one of the sides, often making both contenders even more enraged.

"Dragons are terrifying! They're the terrors of the sky!"

"Ooh, good point Miss Chie!"

"Don't you agree with her, you stupid moogle! Junes has an air of mystery, and it'll keep people guessing!"

"More like it'll keep them laughing their asses off because of how stupid it sounds!"

"Hahaha! Good one!"

"_Shut it, _Ted! Why are you on her side, anyway?"

"Obviously, a robot would side with the logical argument. Right, Teddie?"

"Heck no! I just want to score with you, kuma!"

"What?"

A dull thud led Naoto to believe that Teddie had been punted to another corner of the ship. She exhaled slowly, trying with all her might to control her sanity level. Out of the corner of her eye, the engineer noticed the princess cast a furtive look in her direction and then look away.

"I am really, _really_ sorry…"

Yukiko watched Naoto expertly maneuver the airship to the Palace dock as cries of 'Junes!' and 'Dragon!' continued in the background. More than once the princess had seen the engineer's hand reach for his gun, only to take a deep breath and put his hand back on the wheel.

"Teddie!" Naoto barked over the din, "Get the anchor ready!"

"Aye aye, kuma! I mean, captain!"

The princess relaxed in her chair, knowing that the airship was in good hands. Cid had been right to recommend Naoto; the young man was awfully serious, but he seemed dependable. Thinking back, Yukiko realized that she had not yet seen the engineer-cum-pilot smile. He had worn a dark grimace throughout the entire journey, though that could have been due to Yosuke and Chie.

"You may disembark now," Naoto informed his passengers, bowing low before them.

Yosuke and Chie descended the ramp first, and both gasped in awe when they were met with the sight of Inaba stretching out before them. They had never been outside Amagi before, and had never truly believed the rumors of Adachi's superior technology. Inaba, as the capitol of the Adachi Empire, naturally would house the best of the best. Dozens of monorails formed a complex web around the city, ferrying thousands of passengers to their destination every day. Yosuke nearly ran into Chie because she had stopped to admire the view, and they were about to start arguing again when a calm voice interrupted.

"I never expected to see the two of you again."

Yosuke's head started to spin at the sound of that voice. It was deeper, sure, but he would never forget that calm, calculated way of speaking. Only one person had ever spoken that way, as though every word were measured carefully before being selected so as to ensure that no mistakes would be made.

"Souji?" he gasped. Chie remained frozen in front of him, and Yosuke pushed her out of the way to greet his childhood playmate.

The handsome, gray-haired man that stood before them was indeed Souji, the boy who used to run around the streets of Yasogami in his youth. He greeted his old friend with his infectious, ear-to-ear grin and embraced Yosuke tightly.

"Dude, let a guy breathe," Yosuke chuckled, extricating himself from the hug. "H-Hey, Chie, look who it is!" He turned to Chie, feeling highly embarrassed after that display of affection.

Chie wondered if she had fallen asleep on the airship, and if all of this was a dream. Souji, the boy she had had a major crush on as a little girl, stood before them in all his handsome glory. She didn't know whether or not to approach him after seeing the treatment Yosuke received. If Souji hugged her like that, Chie was certain that she would faint. While she deliberated over what to do, Souji decided to make the choice for her. He crossed the distance between them in a few easy strides, pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arms around her.

"Don't think, _feel_. Right?" he murmured in her ear. Chie was too taken aback to respond. Souji laughed and kissed her cheek before releasing her.

"Wha-?" Chie couldn't even formulate a thought, much less a sentence, after that. Her cheeks blazed, though Chie resisted the urge to touch the one Souji had pressed his lips to.

"Tch," Yosuke shook his head, "You've sure changed, dude."

"What?" Souji demanded, "Did you want me to kiss you, too?"

"Hell no!"

The men laughed, dispelling the awkward atmosphere.

"So, you two dating yet?" Souji asked. The awkward atmosphere returned.

"Hell no!" Yosuke snarled. Chie doubtless would have denied this as well if she hadn't been off in her own world.

"I see," Souji murmured. "That means I still have a chance then, eh?"

Princess Yukiko waited until the reunion was over before preparing to exit the ship herself.

"Watch out for him," Naoto warned.

"Who? That gray-haired man?"

"Yes." Naoto narrowed his eyes at him.

"Are you jealous?" Yukiko asked, smiling innocently.

"I don't understand the question." The young engineer stared at the princess with a blank expression. A fit of giggles was threatening to surface, so Yukiko did her best to adopt a somber look before descending the ramp out to the dock.

Souji dropped to one knee and lowered his head when he spotted the new arrival. Yosuke shot him a curious look before remembering that Princess Yukiko had come with them.

"You don't have to do that," Yukiko muttered. Souji flashed her a brilliant grin and offered her his hand, which she accepted.

"I have heard many rumors of your beauty," he murmured, bringing her hand to his lips, "But I can see now that mere words can hardly do you justice, Princess."

He guided her gently down onto the dock. If he noticed how flustered he had made her, Souji masked it perfectly behind a face of polite kindness. Yosuke and Chie fell into step behind the pair of them as they made their way deeper into the palace.

"I see you are already acquainted with my bodyguards," Yukiko said after recovering from the shock.

"Indeed. I used to live in Yasogami, but my father got a new job here, so we moved. It was a bit of a hassle, but I have been very fortunate since then. As you can see," he added, gesturing to his attire.

"You work for the emperor?" Yosuke butted in from behind.

"I do," Souji said over his shoulder, "He practically treats me like one of the family. We are on very good terms, and I do hope these peace talks are successful."

"As do I," Yukiko admitted. Souji smiled benignly at her, and they both ignored Yosuke's mock gagging.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Residential Area**

"Dad…?" a small girl, no older than twelve, wandered down the stairs to her father's office.

"What is it, Nanako?" Cid swiveled his chair away from the table, brushing his drawings and pens aside.

"Are you going to make Teddie human?"

Cid sighed. It was when Nanako had asked him this same question, about a month ago now, that he had begun his blueprints for the moogle's new body. The planning stage was coming quite well, but Cid was at a loss on where to find the parts he would need. The Amagi Kingdom was not known for its robotics, and certainly not for its mines. If he wanted materials, Cid would have to go to Inaba. _I'll try to contact Naoto later, _he thought, _See if he can pick up some stuff for me._

"I'm working on it, sweetie," he assured the girl.

"Really?" Nanako asked with tentative excitement. "Teddie said that's what he wants more than anything in the whole wide world!"

"Did he now?" Cid smiled and patted her head affectionately.

"Uh huh! And I told him that if anyone could do it, you could!"

Cid chuckled wryly. "Good night, Nanako."

"G'night, Dad!"

**Inaba, Adachi: Hangar Bay**

"Hello?" Naoto held the communicator up to her ear. It was a simplistic device that allowed her and Cid to contact one another in case of emergency. They had rarely used it in the past, and this was the first time they had used it while being in different territories.

"Naoto?" Her superior's tone was scratchy and difficult to hear, so Naoto pressed the device closer.

"Yes, this is Naoto. What do you need?"

Cid explained that he needed a handful of materials for Teddie's new body, and Naoto committed the list to memory as he spoke. She would write them down later to ensure she wouldn't forget.

"…Is that all?"

"Yeah, thanks." The device clicked, meaning that Cid had cut off the connection. Naoto slipped the communicator back into her pocket and began to search for a piece of paper.

"I'm bored, kuma," Teddie whined. He had been following Naoto around like a shadow since the others had gone, reminding her every fifteen minutes that there was absolutely nothing fun to do on the airship.

"Don't you mean 'beared'?" Naoto asked. Wait—did she just make a joke?

"'Bared', kuma? I guess. I've never really been clothed, kuma, so I suppose 'bared' is a good word."

"Nevermind," Naoto muttered. She scribbled down the names of the items Cid had asked her to find, and Teddie climbed up onto the table to observe her work.

"What's this stuff for?" he chirped.

"I am not allowed to disclose that information."

Teddie grumbled a bit and hopped off the table. The airship creaked as Teddie zoomed around on his wheels, and occasionally he would crash into things. Naoto paid him no mind, double-checking the list to make sure that she had gotten everything down.

"Mister Naoto!" Teddie cried, "I don't think my bearakes are working, kuma!" He slammed into the wall of the ship again and fell backward. He struggled and squirmed a bit, but he was unable to right himself again.

"There you go," deep voice chuckled. There was a clank and a squeak as someone helped Teddie up, and Naoto felt her blood run cold. Her hand immediately went to her revolver, but the intruder got there first.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," Souji said, pressing the gun into Naoto's palm. Her fingers clenched around the handle reflexively, but she didn't raise it.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to invite you to dinner. The others are waiting patiently in the banqueting hall, but I'm not sure how long that will last." The corner of his mouth twitched into a small half-smile.

"Dinner?" Naoto echoed faintly. The lights of the city were so bright that Naoto hadn't realized how much time had passed.

"Dinner," he affirmed. "Shall we?"

"You go on ahead," Naoto said, "I have to, um…" her mind raced for a chore she could do to delay her arrival. "I have to do a quick maintenance check on the ship. I need to see if anything minor went wrong during the flight."

"Well, aren't you the dedicated worker?" Souji clapped her on the shoulder. "Keep of the good work, sir. If you need help, let me know." He walked over to the seating area and helped himself to a chair. Teddie whizzed over to his side at once and began to chatter rapidly at his new-found friend.

"You're not going to leave until I finish?" Naoto asked, dumbfounded.

"Let me know if you need my help!" was his only response. Souji grabbed a newspaper from the seat next to him and settled down to read. Teddie climbed up onto the top of the chair and read over Souji's head. Naoto groaned inwardly at his stubbornness and jerked open the hatch that led down to the engine room. There was a good chance that nothing was wrong, but Naoto had hoped to avoid walking around with that man. She had observed the effect he had on people, and he struck her as a dangerous sort of person.

The engineer began her minute inspection of every little detail in the engine room. She was so absorbed in her work that she failed to hear a soft thud behind her.

"Awfully cramped down here, isn't it?"

Naoto gasped in surprise and leapt up. Souji was casually watching her with his hands in his pockets, newspaper nowhere to be seen.

"I did not ask for your assistance," Naoto growled.

"You didn't," he agreed, "But the moogle said that you might be looking for the wrench he stole. Since he can't come down here, he asked me to give it to you." Souji held the tool out in his palm like a peace offering.

Naoto reached for the wrench as if she were reaching into a pit of vipers. Her hand trembled, and as soon as she had a grip on the cold metal she snatched her hand back as though burned. Souji raised an eyebrow at her behavior.

"Do I scare you?" he asked innocently. "The empire's a pretty scary place—don't turn your back on anyone."

"Please get out."

He sighed, casting a glance around the small engine room. His practiced eye could see that absolutely nothing was wrong, but his practiced mind could tell when he wasn't wanted.

"The banquet hall is downstairs," Souji said as he began to climb up the ladder. "There are signs."

"Thank you."

As soon as Souji was out of sight, Naoto released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Damn it," she whispered. What the hell had just happened?

**Sky: Floating Island**

"Dammit!" Kanji roared, pulling a small dart out of his shoulder. "I'm about to go apeshit on their asses if they don't show themselves!"

"This is all your fault," Rise accused, "If you weren't such a brute-"

"Yeah? Whose smart idea was it to come here in the first place? Treasure my ass! You just want to get ridda me so that you can have that crummy airship to yourself!"

"You idiot! What's gonna happen to me if you die, huh?"

"Uhhh…"

Rise snorted derisively at her companion's stupidity. Kanji could be sweet, sure, and he had the strength of a _behemoth_, but he was sadly lacking in the mental department. His lack of ability to plan was what had gotten them into their present predicament.

The jungle heat was sweltering, even in the shade, and the trees were home to any number of insects that neither Kanji nor Rise was fond of. Add in a tribe of fiercely territorial viera—complete with bows, arrows, and darts—and you had a pair of miserable, irritable treasure hunters.

"If we get outta here alive, I'm never huntin' again," Kanji vowed, narrowly dodging an arrow that zoomed past his ear.

"If we get out alive, it'll be a miracle."

Viera were tall, beautiful rabbit-women who were at peace with nature and not with anyone else. They were warlike even under the best of circumstances, and there wasn't much they hated more than strangers.

"Shit!" Kanji yelped as he avoided another sharp projectile.

"Hey, we're getting closer to the treasure!" Rise exclaimed.

"For real?" Kanji whipped his head around so quickly Rise was surprised he hadn't broken his spinal cord.

"Naw, I just wanted to see your reaction. But—hm…"

"Now what?"

"Hang on a sec." Rise sensed that more people had arrived, but she couldn't tell if they were friend or foe. The vieras' fury was screwing up her radar and making it difficult to concentrate.

Someone fired a gun, and one of the vieras let out a strangled cry.

"We're saved!" Kanji cried, nearly weeping with joy.

"Hang _on,_ Kanji! I can't tell if-"

Kanji and Rise suddenly found that they were out of the jungle. The sudden light blinded them, and as they struggled to regain sight again they were both grabbed roughly from behind.

"What the hell?" Kanji snarled. He threw off whoever was restraining him and opened his eyes a crack.

"I advise you to remain still," a cold voice warned. Kanji shielded his eyes from the sun and forced his eyes to open further. One man held Rise, and another had a gun pointed at her head.

"Let 'er go!" Kanji roared. He started towards them, but two pairs of hands held him back.

"You are Kanji and Rise, correct?" the man with the gun asked. He seemed to be their leader.

"Yeah. So what?"

"You have no idea how long we've been chasing you," the man said. He lowered the gun, smiling. "You'll be coming with us now."

"Like hell we will!" Kanji jerked his elbow back, catching one of the people holding him off guard. His arm freed, he slammed his fist into his other opponent. There was a satisfying crack, and another body fell to the ground.

"It looks like we'll have to do this the hard way," the man with the gun sighed. He pointed the barrel straight at Kanji's chest and fired. Pain erupted from where the bullet met flesh, setting Kanji's nerves on fire, and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

So, I'm updating again. I know the story'd pretty slow so far, and I do actually intend to stick to the 'one-update-a-week' thing once the plot actually starts going. So, there was some stuff in this chapter that I thought I put in the precious one, so the main conflict is actually introduced here. My bad. This update's relatively short, but the next one's pretty long to make up for it.

There were good guesses for the new character, and I suppose I didn't introduce him very well. I think I accidentally made some of the characters way cooler/not as flawed here than they are in the game...and honestly, some of the people guessed would have made sense in the role, but whatever. 'A's for effort all around.

I'm going to try to address some reviewers' questions here, since I've been mostly neglecting to do so thus far:

Kisdota-The Freak Gamer: Sorry about all the mysterious stuff. I guess all I can say is that I have a good idea of where the story's going, and just about everything has an explanation that will pop up sometime.

Blazehawkins: There will be a 'main party' of sorts here, and those four characters will get the most emphasis. Others will get theirs every once in a while, so it's mostly ensemble in that sense. And I have no idea what the world is called; in case you couldn't tell, I'm not choosing to be very creative with names.

True Oblivion: That is an excellent question. The short answer is "I'm not sure", and the long answer is "I'm not sure...yet".

Uh, I think that's all of them. I appreciate these reviews, so by all means keep'em coming. I don't want to turn into one of those authors who asks people to review all the time, so I won't say any more on that.

Anywho, here's the fourth installment of Persona IV! As usual, I don't own P4, P3, or Final Fantasy.

**Sky: ?**

Rise awoke on an airship, but it wasn't the _Marukyu_. She was surrounded by more than a dozen strange men, and that alone was enough to make her wary. Kanji's presence was faint, but Rise could still sense it. He was probably nearby; whoever was in charge must have wisely confined him somewhere.

"Where am I?" Rise asked, sitting up. None of the men replied; they just stared back at her as though they hadn't heard anything. They exuded a strange presence that Rise couldn't quite place. She could sense them, but she wasn't sensing much. Either something was blocking her radar abilities, or there just wasn't much to sense from them. The dead, haunted look in their eyes made Rise shiver.

"Ah, you're awake," a voice announced. A man with dark hair marched up to her, holding a gun in one hand and a key in the other.

"Where am I?" Rise asked again. The man laughed humorlessly, twirling the key around in his fingers.

"You're aboard my ship, the _Hero_," he explained. Rise met his eyes, but quickly had to look away. They were the stuff of nightmares: a pair of bottomless black holes that held no emotion or interest. He was only barely easier to sense than the crew.

"…And you are?"

"Mitsuo."

Rise couldn't suppress a gasp. Mitsuo the Mad was an infamous sky pirate and well-known in just about every corner of the world. She had heard more rumors about him than she could count, and not a single one was flattering.

"You've heard of me?" he asked. He sounded delighted.

"Everyone's heard of you," she muttered. "Mitsuo the Mad…"

"_No_!" he shouted, "Mitsuo the Hero!"

Rise wasn't about to argue with a man with a gun, so she didn't offer a rebuttal.

"You're going down to join your friend," Mitsuo declared, addressing the floor as he spoke. Two of the crewmen dragged Rise up onto her feet and pushed her along after their leader.

The _Hero_, it turned out, had a dungeon on the lower deck. Rise had never encountered such a thing before, but she wasn't sure what to be frightened of anymore. This whole situation was just one long nightmare, and Rise couldn't wait for it to be over.

Kanji was being held in the cell at the end of the hallway. He was resting against the wall and glared up at Mitsuo when the group stopped front of the cell.

"The hell did you do to her?" he growled, nodding at Rise.

"Nothing." Mitsuo motioned with his hand and the crewmen tossed Rise into the cell.

Kanji watched her slam into the wall, a look of helpless pain in his eyes. Whatever the sky pirate had shot him with had somehow made Kanji's entire body go numb. He had regained feeling in his head shortly after waking up, but the effects were slow to wear off. Kanji was only now starting to feel his shoulders again, and he had been awake for more than an hour.

"Leave," Mitsuo commanded, and the two men shuffled off. The _Hero_'s captain leaned against the bars and leered at his prisoners.

"I don't usually take prisoners," he said. "I'm more a 'shoot first, ask questions later' sort of fellow. Any idea why I've kept you alive?"

"Ya said you've been followin' us," Kanji answered. Rise stared at the floor and said nothing.

"That's true. Again, any idea why?" Kanji stared at Mitsuo's terrifying black eyes, but he didn't back down like Rise had.

"You want to use us," Rise whispered. Mitsuo broke off the staring contest and looked at the woman, smirking.

"Correct. You, Rise," he inclined his head slightly in her direction, "Have intrigued much of the sky pirating community with your sensing abilities. Any pirate would kill for that, you know."

"What about me?" Kanji demanded.

"What about you, indeed. I have two options concerning you, Kanji, and I'm such a great guy that I'll let you choose. I could either assimilate you into my crew, or…" Mitsuo's wicked grin widened.

"'Assimilate'?" Rise echoed.

"You may have noticed that my crew isn't a particularly…'lively' bunch," Mitsuo said. "Incidentally, did you know that I used to be an accomplished necromancer before becoming a sky pirate?"

The implication was clear, and it explained why Rise had been unable to sense much from them. They were _corpses_.

"Zombies?" Kanji breathed. "What's the second option?"

"It's my personal favorite," Mitsuo confessed. "I'll show you later."

He laughed maniacally at their confused faces and walked away.

"I'll be back," he called over his shoulder, "So don't go anywhere!"

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace Dining Hall**

This was the last place Yosuke expected to be. He was in the banquet hall, in the palace of the capitol of the Adachi Empire. He was an Amagian man through and through, and he could barely fight back the desire to pilfer any and all things he saw. Chie must have noted his desire, because she kept a constant eye on him throughout the dinner. That is, she did whenever she wasn't busy gazing at Souji.

Yosuke blew the bangs out of his eyes and glared at his former best friend. Souji seemed blissfully unaware of the attention he was receiving. He hadn't spoken a word throughout the entire meal, except to answer random questions the emperor put to him. Even then, he was as curt as possible in his replies.

The emperor was nothing like Yosuke had expected him to be. Emperor Tohru was laidback and even seemed a little absent-minded, but he was cheerful enough.

"How was the ride down here?" Tohru asked. He glanced around at the Amagians, trying to figure out which one would answer his question first. Naoto sat with his head down, picking carelessly at the food before him. Chie kicked Yosuke under the table when he started to stow his fancy cutlery into his pants pocket, making Yosuke yelp in pain.

"Sorry," Chie whispered.

"It's _fine,_" Yosuke hissed, though his shin felt like it had been cracked in half.

"What was that?"

Yosuke met the Adachian emperor's eyes. He hadn't realized the emperor had asked a question, but everyone was now looking at him expectantly.

"Uh, I-I said it was fine," Yosuke stammered. The emperor nodded, smiling.

"Glad to hear it," he said, "I don't really enjoy long voyages myself."

Yosuke exhaled slowly. _Holy crap_, he thought, _that was nerve-wracking._ Chie flashed him a thumbs-up, and he half-heartedly returned the gesture.

"It's getting late," Yukiko said suddenly. "Why don't we leave the negotiations until tomorrow?"

"That's a great idea, Princess," the emperor agreed, "Souji, would you mind showing our guests to their quarters after dinner?"

"Not at all."

"Ugh," Yosuke groaned. Souji looked up at him in surprise.

"Is something wrong, Yosuke?" he asked.

"It's just that—couldn't someone else do it?"

The thief didn't know what had made him say that. He had no problem with Souji—in fact, he would have enjoyed getting to spend some time with his old friend. They could talk and catch up on one another's lives.

"That would be more efficient," Tohru reasoned, nodding. "I'll get a few servants to show you guys around. That way Souji here won't have to worry about everyone at once."

"It wouldn't be any trouble," Souji started to say, but the princess cut him off.

"I think that's a great idea."

"So we're all in agreement, then," the emperor declared. He snapped his fingers, summoning a handful of servants to the table. Everyone had finished eating by that time, so the servants began to clear the plates away with alacrity.

"You three," Tohru called, beckoning to three servants who stood near the doorway, "Come here. You are to show these people to their rooms and answer any questions they might ask you. Understood?" The servants bowed low in reply and waited for Yosuke, Chie, and Princess Yukiko to join them.

"Hm?" Tohru turned to Naoto. "What about you?"

"I'll stay with the airship."

"Suit yourself. Good night, Souji."

"Good night, my lord."

Yosuke threw Souji one final glance before following the servants out into the corridor. The young gray-haired man bowed to the emperor, then turned to begin a conversation with the engineer.

"This is so exciting!" Chie giggled, "I've never seen anything like this before!"

"It is impressive," Yukiko admitted, "Though I can't say I really approve of such…_gaudiness_."

"Yeah," Yosuke murmured. Everything that could be covered in gold leaf, had been. The ornately-decorated walls positively screamed 'wealthy', and the beautiful marble flooring was clean enough to eat off of. The occasional chandelier that dotted the ceiling appeared to be constructed out of pure gold too, but its glow was more melancholy than cheerful. Despite being completely overwhelmed at the beauty, Yosuke couldn't fend off the sense of gloom that pervaded the palace.

**Inaba, Adachi: Hangar Bay**

"You're sleeping in the airship?"

Naoto clenched the edges of the tablecloth, her knuckles beginning to turn white. Why had they left her alone with him? Why had Yosuke opened his stupid mouth? It was because of that idiot bodyguard that Souji was here now, talking to her, when he could be off showing the others to their rooms. The emperor had gone off to bed, and the servants had finished clearing away the table, so Naoto was alone with Souji in the banquet hall. Stupid, imbecilic Yosuke.

"Correct," Naoto said through clenched teeth.

"Do you mind if I accompany you back to your quarters? I want to talk."

Naoto narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him, and Souji threw up his hands in mock surrender.

"Just to talk, I promise," he assured her, "I don't doubt for a minute that that gun is just a toy."

Naoto could not see any harm in simply wanting to talk, so she acquiesced.

"What exactly did you want to talk about?" she inquired as they made their way down the corridor.

"You, mostly." At least he was straightforward.

"…I see."

"Are you an engineer or a pilot?"

"Both. Why?"

"Not many people are, you know. Most pilots just hire their own crew of engineers. In fact, I can think of only one other person who is both a pilot and engineer. Do you know a man by the name of-"

"Cid?" Naoto guessed. Souji nodded, smiling a little.

"So you do know him. Or you know _of_ him, at least."

"I am his apprentice. We both work at the castle in Yasogami."

"And he's okay with you being from the empire?"

The question caught Naoto off-guard. Cid had never mentioned anything about it, though Naoto could see where he might have a problem with it. The older engineer was strongly patriotic, and was vocal about his dislike of the empire. It had never occurred to Naoto to wonder if Cid disapproved of her. He must have known, because of her accent, and yet…

"I take it you don't know?" Souji asked gently.

"He does not approve of the empire, but he did agree to take me on as his apprentice. I do not carry any Imperial convictions, so perhaps that is why…?"

"I'm not saying you're untrustworthy," Souji said quickly, "I just wondered if the old man was starting to open up a little again."

"Open up?"

"You mean…you don't know?"

His manner was infuriating. Naoto shook her head, and Souji bit his lip meditatively.

"You don't know why he hates the empire?" he asked.

"I always assumed it was due to nationalism."

Souji laughed.

"I guess you could say it's more of the opposite. Why don't you ask him some time?"

"I hardly think it is my place to-"

"Just. Ask him." His tone left no room for argument, though Naoto still wished to protest. He had no right to tell her what to do, but the young engineer could feel her curiosity threatening to get the better of her. The opposite of nationalism? It bothered her that someone like Souji knew more than she did, especially about her own boss.

"You probably know his daughter Nanako too, right?"

Naoto nodded.

"She's my cousin," Souji said off-handedly when they reached the airship docks.

"So your Cid's nephew?"

"So it would seem."

Before Naoto could think of a reply, Teddie came wheeling toward them, careening dangerously in his rush.

"Mister Naoto, kuma! There's been a bearibble disaster!"

"Bearable?" Souji echoed.

"Terrible," Naoto corrected. "What happened?"

"It's Lady Mitsuru, kuma! She's closed down Port Island and isn't letting anyone in or out!"

**?**

Igor wove his long fingers together in front of him, thinking.

"It seems the past is coming back to haunt us," he lamented, "Though the problem I foresaw has been delayed a little. Margaret?"

"Yes, Master?"

"There has been a change of plans. Are you prepared to initiate Plan B?"

"Of course."

"Make your move when he returns. Until then, we keep an eye on the original to see what he's up to." Igor stared at the palace in Inaba through the crystal ball, shaking his head sadly.

"You had so much potential," he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry the story's moving at a snail's pace...thanks for sticking with it, folks.

I don't own p4, p3, or FF.

**Sky: Aboard **_**The Hero**_

Kanji flexed his fingers, cracking his knuckles as he did so. Everything below his abdomen was still numb, even after a day had passed. At least, Kanji assumed a day had passed. He and Rise had been stuck in the dark cell, and there were no windows. Rise had been sleeping fitfully most of the time, but Kanji had been unable to close his eyes for more than a few seconds before jerking back to alertness. The young woman beside him stirred, and Kanji patted her head comfortingly.

"Kanji?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah, Rise?"

"What're you going to do?"

The same question had been running through Kanji's mind since Mitsuo had offered Kanji his choice: death and zombification, or Mitsuo's 'personal favorite'.

"I dunno," Kanji confessed. "I mean, I don't wanna be a zombie, but I sure as hell don't wanna know what that creep has up his sleeve."

"I don't want you to be a zombie either," Rise murmured, "But on the other hand…"

"Yeah."

A zombie crewmember shuffled down to their cell, bearing a basket of fresh fruit. Kanji glared up at the newcomer, but looked away quickly out of disgust. The zombie's head sported a large crack down the middle, perhaps courtesy of Kanji's fist.

"The hell?" the man muttered. Rise took a couple apples from the basket and returned to her friend, offering him one.

"Thanks," he said. The food looked good enough, and it wasn't like Mitsuo would get anything out of poisoning them. The zombie shuffled away, its duty fulfilled.

"Was that your handiwork?" Rise asked in a low voice. She nodded at the retreating crewman.

"Maybe. Don't really remember what happened."

Silence fell between them as they ate. Kanji was still irritated by being captured, and angry with Rise for telling him to go to that island in the first place. He knew that he hadn't said anything against the idea, but he was still mad. Kanji wondered if Rise could sense his anger—given that she had scooted into the corner of the cell and hadn't said much seemed to confirm his suspicion.

"I'm goin' with stayin' alive," Kanji declared, causing Rise to jump.

"We don't know if the other option guarantees that, Kanji," she reminded him. Kanji's retort died on his lips as the sound of approaching footsteps filled the air.

"I'm glad to see you're accepting food," Mitsuo called. "Sometimes people get the idiotic idea into their heads that not eating will make a statement. I don't care if they starve themselves; no one is so essential that I can't live without them. That goes for you two as well."

"What's the second option?" Kanji growled.

"Blunt, aren't we? I told you that you would find out soon enough. I take it you don't want to join my crew?"

"Hell no."

"Excellent." Mitsuo's mouth stretched into a disturbing grin. "Rise, be a dear and locate the nearest treasure for me."

Rise leaned back against the wall with her eyes closed, concentrating as hard as she could to find any sign of treasure.

"North by northwest," she muttered, "Approximately five kilometers…"

"What the hell are you doing?" Kanji hissed. Mitsuo laughed and leaned towards the bars guarding the cell.

"She's just doing what she's told," he taunted, smirking. "I'll send for you when we arrive. Oh, and Kanji, I really don't want to have to shoot you again, so try to play nice with the crew."

Kanji wanted to lunge at the smirking bastard, but his legs still refused to cooperate. He clenched his hands into fists and glared at the sky pirate.

"You're recovering rather quickly," Mitsuo remarked, glancing at Kanji's hands. "Here: a show of goodwill." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pill, which he then tossed at Kanji. "Later." He strolled away, whistling the Imperial Anthem.

"Don't take it, Kanji," Rise warned, "What if it kills you?"

"I think he's too excited about 'option number two' to kill me now," Kanji replied. He gulped the pill, and noticed the effect almost instantaneously. A warm, pleasant feeling spread through his body as the effect made its way through his blood stream, and afterward Kanji had complete control of his body again.

"Much better," he grunted, stretching his legs. He stood up and walked around, feeling more listless than before.

"I don't get it," Rise muttered. "Why is he being so nice to us?"

"He prob'ly wants to use us," Kanji offered, "And it's easier to use people if they trust you."

"That's so cynical, Kanji."

Kanji shrugged uneasily and pressed his face against the cool steel bars. As much as he hated to admit it, they did owe the pirate captain. He had 'rescued' them from the jungle, fed them, and given Kanji that pill. The pill wouldn't have been necessary, though, if Mitsuo hadn't shot him in the first place…

It seemed like an eternity had passed until two crewmen ambled up to the cell door. They led Kanji and Rise up to the deck of the airship where Mitsuo was waiting. At a nod from their captain, two more zombies stepped forward and grabbed onto Rise's arms, pinning them behind her back.

"The hell are you-"

"Ah-ah-ah, Kanji," Mitsuo warned, "Let's play nice, shall we?" He turned to face Kanji, his gun in one hand and a syringe with red liquid in the other.

"Is that blood?" Rise gasped.

"It's nothing so dramatic," Mitsuo assured her, "It's a special formula I've developed, and _it_ is option number two."

"Huh?" Kanji didn't like the look of the needle, nor the crazed look in Mitsuo's hollow eyes as he approached Kanji.

"You won't notice anything at first," the pirate said, "Because it takes awhile to get through your bloodstream. Once the three of us go down into that cave, though, I can't say what will happen." Grinning like a madman, Mitsuo plunged the syringe into Kanji's bicep, and the younger man howled in pain. The deed was done in a matter of seconds, though the pain lasted long after the needle was withdrawn. Kanji rubbed the wounded area tenderly, glaring at Mitsuo. The sky pirate beckoned, and Kanji, Rise, and a handful of zombies trailed after him to the cavern's maw.

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace**

Emperor Tohru stretched, loving the feel of his silk pajamas against his skin. Everything was going according to plan, as he had anticipated. Souji had successfully charmed the princess (and one of her bodyguards too, it seemed), so all that was left now was to begin the peace talks. Or, as Tohru liked to think of them, 'negotiations'.

Someone knocked loudly on his door just as the emperor was crawling into bed.

"Who's there?" he called.

"It's Souji. Something's come up."

"Dammit," Tohru muttered under his breath. "Come in."

Souji entered, looking uncharacteristically distraught. He explained that something had happened at Port Island, and that Lady Mitsuru had closed the island down.

"How do you know this?" Tohru demanded.

"A robotic moogle picked up a radio transmission from the island," Souji explained.

"A robotic-?"

"Moogle, yes. More importantly, the princess will soon find out, if she hasn't already."

"So what do we do?" If the Amagian king and queen were still on vacation, their daughter would be too preoccupied by thoughts of their safety to even consider diplomacy.

"I do have a rough plan," Souji said. "You need to convince the princess that this is a direct threat to her parents, and that they may be in grave danger. Furthermore, insinuate that something terrible could happen if she were to return home, something that could be prevented if she were to stay here. Everyone knows the might of the empire, and would think twice about going after it without sufficient firepower."

"What if I can't convince her of that?"

"Then leave her to me," Souji assured him, smiling. "Oh, and be patient. If the princess learns to trust you, she will be easier to deal with."

"Yes…yes, of course. I will do as you advise. However…"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Are you sure you can handle that many women at one time? You are dating two right now, you know."

"I am?" Souji stared at the emperor blankly.

"Yes. That rich woman, Ai, and my niece, Yumi. Which one did you forget, Souji?"

The gray-haired man laughed nervously.

"I'd better get going," he said. "Sorry to disturb you, my lord."

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace**

Naoto raced down to Princess Yukiko's room, relieved to finally be rid of Souji. It wasn't often that she felt that ill at ease around people, which just made her feel even edgier. It occurred to her as she ran that she had no idea where the princess was sleeping, so she stopped a random servant she came across and interrogated him harshly to ascertain the information. He scurried off, looking confused and a little put-off by Naoto's brusqueness, but she was used to that sort of reaction.

"Second floor, third on the right," the engineer panted, taking the stairs two at a time. She wondered if Souji had gotten to the emperor yet. It didn't really matter if he had or not; she was just curious. _What could possibly possess Lady Mitsuru to close down Port Island?_ she wondered, _From what I've heard, she's a level-headed individual who isn't prone to irrational actions. Someone I could identify with, certainly._ Naoto arrived outside her destination a little out of breath, but she didn't bother to stop and try to regain it. She pounded on the door, figuring she could ask for forgiveness for the disturbance later.

"Who is it?" the princess called, her voice higher than usual.

"Naoto, Your Majesty," the engineer called, "Something important has come up. May I come in?"

The door opened and Naoto walked in quickly, closing the door behind her.

"This is highly unusual," the princess observed, tilting her head to the side.

"Forgive me," Naoto said, bowing, "But this is of utmost importance. Teddie recently intercepted a transmission that came from a Port Island airship, and he has reported that Port Island is currently on lockdown."

"Lockdown?" Yukiko repeated blankly.

"No one is allowed to enter or leave the island during lockdown," Naoto explained, "Which means that-"

"My parents are stuck there!" the princess realized with a gasp. "Is there anything we can do?"

"I do not know," the engineer admitted, eyes downcast, "The best course of action may just be to wait and see what happens."

"I must return at once," Yukiko declared, "I will have to tell the emperor that something has come up, and-"

"I apologize for interrupting, but the emperor already knows. Souji was present when Teddie received the information."

"Oh." Princess Yukiko sat on her bed and propped her chin in her hands thoughtfully.

"I shall take my leave of you," Naoto murmured, backing away.

"One moment, Naoto."

"Yes?" The princess was looking at Naoto with a curious expression, and the engineer had the feeling the atmosphere had changed somehow. That look—Naoto had seen it before, and it always resulted in trouble.

"You're a man, aren't you?" _Oh dear,_ Naoto thought. This was going from bad to worse.

"Yes, Your Majesty." She winced. She had just told a direct lie to the princess, but it couldn't be helped.

"Hmm…" the princess shifted her gaze to the mirror and she examined her reflection for a moment.

"If that is all, then-"

"Do think I'm pretty, Naoto?"

"I don't understand the question." It was an automatic response, something Naoto always said whenever she needed to stall for time.

"I've always been told that I'm beautiful," Yukiko said, "And I just wanted to hear your opinion."

"I'm not really good with that sort of thing," Naoto said nervously, "I'm much better with machines than I am with people. Souji seems to think so, though." That ought to bring about a subject change, if nothing else.

"He seems to, yes," the princess agreed sadly, "But I know that the emperor is only using him to try to manipulate me. I'm not stupid, you know."

"Of course not, Your Highness. As long as you are aware of the situation, it is highly unlikely that you will fall prey to his charms."

"You're a strange man, Naoto. But thank you for the encouragement, I guess."

"Good night, Your Highness." The engineer bowed once more and left, her heart pounding. How did she always manage to get into situations like this? People seemed determined nowadays to force her out of her comfort zone, and Naoto was not entirely—well, comfortable with that.

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace**

"Where am I?" Yukiko murmured sleepily when she awoke the following morning. Instead of the familiar stone walls of her castle, she saw shiny gold-plated walls and beautiful tapestries. The snow-white linen sheets were finer than anything that could be found in Amagi, and it was only after taking all of this in did Yukiko remember that she was at the palace.

The recent events took a few minutes to sort themselves out in the princess's mind as she readied herself for the day. Her parents were stuck on Port Island due to Lady Mitsuru's decree, and Yukiko vaguely remember a distraught Naoto entering her room the previous night to inform her of Port Island's lockdown, but she only remembered bits and pieces of their conversation. Yukiko would need to meet with the emperor to discuss her best course of action, though she was hardly looking forward to the prospect.

A light tapping at the door brought Yukiko's thoughts back to the present, and she cast a rapid glance at herself in the mirror before answering. She looked presentable enough, she decided.

"My lady?" Souji called from the other side of the door, "Do you mind if I come in?"

Yukiko froze, her hand halfway to the doorknob. Sure, she looked presentable enough for _common_ company…but Souji was hardly common company.

"Just a minute," she called. She dashed back to the mirror and examined her reflection once more, intent on fixing any flaws she found—real or imaginary.

"As you wish," Souji replied.

"Come in," she commanded after a moment.

The door opened slowly, revealing the emperor's right-hand man bearing a large silver platter.

"Breakfast, my lady," he announced cheerfully, "I hope you like it. I've been slaving over it in the kitchens for the past hour."

Yukiko smiled, assuming that had been a joke. She knew that in Amagi, people as close the royal family as Souji was to Tohru would never be caught doing any actual labor.

"I could test it too, if you like," the gray-haired man added, "In case you suspect me of poisoning your food."

"I trust you," Yukiko said. Souji inclined his head and smiled, placing the dish on the table.

Whoever made the meal had prepared quite a feast. In the center of the platter rested a large omelet that smelled absolutely heavenly, and around that were various dishes that made Yukiko's mouth water.

"What would you like to drink, princess?" Souji asked, twirling a crystal goblet around in his hand.

"What are my options?"

"You name it, I'll get it."

Yukiko smiled wider and forced back a laugh. _Do not start laughing,_ she ordered herself, _Do you really want to look like an idiot in front of him?_ She knew that if she started laughing, she wouldn't be able to stop, and then she'd have a terrible giggling fit that would probably end up with her holding her sides and breathless. That was hardly a fit state for a princess. The only person who had ever seen her like that was Chie, and Yukiko intended to keep it that way.

"Perhaps just some water," she said.

"Aw, that's no fun," Souji replied, beaming, "You're not going to make me dash off to the ends of the earth? You do realize that I am entirely at your disposal, do you not?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm sure you have better things to do than-"

"Princess Yukiko," Souji interjected, "Forgive the interruption, but perhaps you do not quite understand the situation. The emperor has assigned me to you as your personal attendant. As far as he is concerned, I have no higher priority than your happiness."

"Water is still fine," the princess said slowly, "But I'll let you know if I think of anything that I desperately need."

"Please do," the young man murmured, bowing as he left to fetch the water.

Yukiko sighed and returned to the dish in front of her. She had had personal attendants before, but none were quite like Souji. He just had that way about him—Yukiko couldn't figure out what it was that made him so charismatic. She decided that the only way she could hope to figure him out would be to spend more time with him, a task she was only to eager to accept.

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace Meeting Room**

"My deepest condolences," Tohru greeted when the princess entered the meeting room. She inclined her head slightly and took a seat in the gold chair opposite him.

"Thank you," she said. "I thought it would be best to talk about what we should do about this sudden occurrence and put off the negotiations until a later date."

"You are as wise as they say," the emperor said with an empty smile, "And I have a proposal that I believe we can come to an agreement on." Yukiko gestured for him to continue, and he cleared his throat before doing so.

"I stayed up a great part of the night thinking, you see," he began, "Because I was greatly worried about your safety. After all, what would become of Amagi if something were to happen to you while your parents were detained during their fancy vacation?"

"What indeed?" They shared a wry smile, both knowing full well that this banter was only a polite pretense.

"I was wondering if perhaps you might not wish to stay here a bit longer. There is a possibility that some danger has arisen in Port Island that concerns your parents, and I would hate for you to return to your kingdom when we both know that my palace is much safer. We have a state-of-the-art army and are well-equipped to deal with any attack or siege. Would you do me the honor of being your host for just a bit longer, if only for your sake and the sake of your people?"

Yukiko frowned. When he put it like that, there was really no valid argument she could offer to refute him. She would much rather be at home at a time like this, but there was always the possibility that she could be in danger there. If Port Island were to launch an invasion against Yasogami in order to kill her, there was little doubt that the capital would be destroyed in the process.

"Your offer is reasonable," she said, "I would be grateful to you if you would allow me to stay here a little longer. At least until we are better informed of Port Island's situation."

"It gladdens me to know that you areas gracious as you are wise and beautiful. I will see to it that you are given nothing less that the best that this palace has to offer."

His charm and empty words almost made the princess sick to her stomach, but she knew she would have to get used to being treated this way in the world of politics. She flashed Tohru the sweetest smile she could manage and stood, signaling that the meeting was over.

"One more thing," the emperor called as she made for the door.

"Yes, Emperor Tohru?"

"As you know, I am deeply concerned for your well-being and for that of your friends. Surely it is not necessary that they all remain here? I'm certain that your engineer, at least, will be needed back at the castle eventually, and there's no way to know how long you will be here. Perhaps your body guards, as well?"

"I will meet you halfway, Your Grace," Yukiko said after thinking for a moment, "I will ask Naoto and Yosuke to return to Yasogami, but I request that Chie stay with me. It isn't that I don't trust you completely, mind you, but it is merely a personal preference."

"I believe I can allow that," Tohru replied. "Good day, Yukiko."

"Good day." The princess' hands were practically shaking with fury as she slammed the door shut. He called her by her name, even though she had taken great care during their discussion to always refer to him with titles of respect. Emperor Tohru clearly did not respect her as a monarch, and perhaps he never would.

"I suppose I'd better go tell Naoto and Yosuke about the change of plans," Yukiko murmured as she walked through the golden halls. They probably wouldn't be happy about it, but there was little she could do about that. _Let's see_, the princess thought, _Naoto's probably with the airship. Yosuke would most likely be with Chie, but they could be anywhere. They might not even be in the palace by now._ She opted to go with the known variable and to do with the unknown later.

**Inaba, Adachi: Hangar Bay**

Naoto was sitting in the airship when Yukiko walked into the hangar, but he quickly jumped up and opened the door.

"Is there something wrong, Your Majesty?" the young man asked cautiously.

"I have something to tell you," she said. "I'm afraid that you must return to the castle today."

"Okay," he said, "Just let me know when you are prepared to leave."

"That's not what I meant," the princess said slowly, "You will return without me. Chie will also be staying here, but I'm afraid that you and Yosuke are no longer allowed to stay."

"I don't understand." The young engineer stared at her with a mixture of confusion and something that looked like betrayal. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, of course not!" she said quickly, "It's just—Emperor Tohru has intimated that it would be best for as few people to stay as possible. I'm sorry, but I believe you would be better off back home."

Naoto opened his mouth to argue, but Yukiko silenced him with a glare.

"Need I remind you that I am the princess, Naoto?" she asked, "I am now ordering you to return home today."

"Very well, Your Majesty." He bowed and closed the door to the ship, leaving Yukiko feeling like she had just kicked a puppy. She could understand that Naoto wanted to feel like he was useful, but she believed she was acting in his best interest in sending him back. He had already demonstrated a dislike for Souji, which meant that he wouldn't last long here if the emperor caught wind of that.

The door opened again, catching the princess by surprise.

"I presume that Yosuke's whereabouts are unknown to you," Naoto called, "Otherwise you would have brought him here with you."

"I was about to go look for him."

"Teddie!" Naoto shouted over his shoulder, "Would you please come out here?"

The small robot rolled out from under the airship, much to Naoto's surprise and disgust.

"What were you doing?" he demanded.

"Exploring, kuma!" the robot moogle chirped, "Like Christobear Columbus!"

"What are you—ugh, never mind. Would you mind assisting the princess in her search for Yosuke?" The engineer

"You can count on me, Mister Naoto! My nose is sharper than-"

"Just use your sensors. We both know that your nose is just a decoration."

Teddie wheeled slowly over to Yukiko, and his dejected expression almost made her want to cry.

"Come on, Teddie," she cooed, "Can you help me find Yosuke?"

"Sure thing, kuma! There's a catch, though."

"Oh?" she smiled, willing to play along.

"My sensors only work if I'm carried by a bearutiful woman," the robot purred.

"That pun was questionable," Naoto muttered.

"Well, Teddie, would I fit your criteria?"

"Fo sho!" he cried, springing into Yukiko's open arms. He purred again and nestled up against her.

"We have to find Yosuke, remember," she said, "You can't just fall asleep in there."

"I don't sleep," Teddie mumbled, "And don't worry, Princess! We'll find Yosuke in no time! Onward!" His antenna spun around like a periscope as his sensors tried to pick up Yosuke, then finally settled on a direction.

"Thank you, Naoto!" Yukiko called. When she heard no reply, she glanced over her shoulder. The airship's door was closed and the engineer was nowhere to be seen.


	6. Chapter 6

First off, thanks for the reviews/comments! I appreciate them, as always.

The first two-thirds or so of this chapter are going to be pretty dull...I'm still getting characters where they need to be. The last bit is important, and from here on out I _think_ we'll start to see more conflict and Shadow-stuff start to happen. I've pretty much got the story planned out, but we'll see what happens.

Also, an anachronism of sorts: Yosuke says 'Jesus' in this chapter out of exasperation, but I know that would not happen in Final Fantasy. I just didn't know what else to use.

Once again, I don't own Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, or the Final Fantasy series.

**Inaba, Adachi: City Streets**

Yosuke and Chie had essentially been given the day off, so they had decided to explore the sprawling metropolis of the Imperial capital. Neither had ever been outside the Amagian kingdom, and the densely populated, technologically-advanced city that now surrounded them was as exciting as any other new territory would be. People gave them the occasional strange glance, but this was due mostly to their behavior than their attire. Inaba attracted all kinds, so a pair such as they would not be easily distinguishable from the rest of the passersby on the crowded streets. Often, the only thing that got people's attention was whenever they started a shouting match, but Yosuke did his best to minimize such occurrences.

Naoto had told them earlier that day that the commercial section of the city was worth seeing at least once. Apparently, he had already gone out earlier that morning for some supplies or something, and Yosuke and Chie were only too eager to take him at his word. They asked the princess for permission to go, and she admitted that there was really little need for bodyguards now that they were safely in the Empire. Their main job had been to protect her on the airship, where there was great risk of sky pirates or monsters attacking.

The two spoke of any-and everything as they walked, which was hardly unusual. Yosuke investigated a few loose pockets on the way, while Chie talked about all the famous fighters that had apparently done their training here. To the thief's dismay, though, the conversation invariable kept coming back to the same subject.

"Imagine running into Souji again, huh?" Chie asked for the hundredth time as she and Yosuke wandered through Inaba.

"Yeah, crazy," Yosuke grumbled for the hundredth time, "Now would you shut up about it? All you say is 'Souji this' and 'Souji that'. I mean, I'm glad to see him too, but _Jesus_. You act like it's the best thing that's ever happened to you."

"I'm just happy, that's all! Can't I be happy, Yosuke?"

Yosuke sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He had always hoped that he would see Souji again, but not like this. Not where Souji worked closely with the emperor, and certainly not with Chie drooling all over him. She was twenty-two, for crying out loud!

"Be happy all you want," he grumbled, "Just leave me to my misery."

"Aw, but misery loves company!" she laughed, punching him "lightly" on the shoulder. He rubbed the area tenderly, knowing that there would a bruise there in an hour or two.

"Knock it off," he muttered, "I'm really not in the mood." He tried to walk a bit faster, which shouldn't have been difficult since he had longer legs, but Chie started jogging and quickly caught up to him.

"You are such a killjoy, you know that?" she demanded, " I mean, you just saw your best friend, who you haven't seen in years, and all you can do is complain! You need to look on the bright side."

"I _told_ you, I am happy to see him." Again, he sighed. It was difficult to explain, especially since Chie was right: he _ought_ to be happy. " It's just that I'm not happy to see him like _that_. He's the emperor's lapdog for crying out loud…"

"I'm sure he knows what he's doing," Chie said cheerfully, "He was always loads smarter than you, remember?"

"Wha-? He was leagues ahead of you, too! Come to think of it, how did he stand being around us all the time?"

"No idea! Maybe that's why he left. Couldn't stand being around people as stupid as us." Chie grinned and looked at Yosuke. He smiled back, and they both started laughing.

"Actually, I'm surprised we've managed to get this far," Yosuke chuckled, "How in the world did we survive after he left?"

"It was a dark time," Chie recalled, her voice full of melancholy, "All was gloom and sadness, and people wondered why the light had gone out of their lives. They went about their daily lives as normal, yet something was missing…"

"They didn't realize until then just how much he meant to them until he was gone," Yosuke continued, adopting a somber expression. They grinned in tandem at their invented story, but before they could continue to elaborate further they were interrupted by something jumping onto Chie and crawled into her jacket.

"Hey!" she yelped, grabbing the intruder and holding him out at arms' length. "Teddie, what are you-"

"Teddie!" some yelled, "Get back here this instant! I swear if—oh, you found Yosuke. Good job."

Princess Yukiko appeared from around the corner, looking a bit worse for wear and panting a little. She folded her arms over her chest and glared at the robot in Chie's hand.

"It was a mistake, kuma!" Teddie yelped, "They were just so soft and-"

"Aaand it's time for a subject change," Chie interrupted, to Yosuke's chagrin. "What are you two doing out here?"

"Looking for him," the princess replied, indicating Yosuke, "And everything was going _swimmingly_ until little Teddie here starting _exploring_."

"Give me a beareak!" Teddie moaned, "I'm really, really sorry!"

"You were looking for me?" Yosuke asked, nonplussed.

"Yes. Actually, would both of you mind coming with me? I have something I must discuss with you."

"Okay," Chie said, "We weren't really doing much anyway."

"Thank you," Yukiko murmured, "We can talk on the way back to the palace." She shot Teddie one last venomous look before turning on her heel and leading them back to the palace.

Yosuke gaped at the princess once she had finished her story.

"This is so unfair!" he cried, "I don't want to go home yet!"

"Oh calm down, you big baby," Chie admonished irritably, "We probably won't stay much longer anyway. Right, Yukiko?"

"Hopefully, yes." The princess tried to give Yosuke an encouraging smile, but it looked more like a worried grimace. "I'm sure Naoto is ready to leave, so just go down there when you're ready." Yosuke nodded glumly, and Yukiko took her leave of them.

"This is complete bullshit," the thief snarled when the princess was out of earshot, "I don't want to leave you two alone with—ah, to hell with it." He wasn't going to bring Souji up again. All he could do was hope Chie and Yukiko were careful—it _was_ the Empire, after all. "Look, I'm going down to the hangar bay. I guess I'll see you later."

"Try not to do anything stupid while I'm gone," Chie warned, grinning.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to wait until you come back."

There was an awkward pause as the old friends wondered how they ought to part ways.

"A handshake is always good," Yosuke said quickly, "Or, you know, we could just wave or something."

"Yeah, no, handshakes are good." They shook hands, smiling sheepishly at the formality of their farewell.

"See ya," Chie said.

"Yeah, later."

**Inaba, Adachi: Hangar Bay**

Naoto found that she was once again scouring the airship for signs of damage or malfunctioning units. She also found that it was much easier to concentrate without that infernal robot always getting into things, though the silence was a little disconcerting. Even in the Yasogami hangar bay there was always some noise in the background, whether it was Teddie being Teddie or the sound of Cid's footsteps as he paced the floor.

"Hey, Naoto! You in here?" Yosuke yelled from outside the ship.

"One moment!" she called. She wiped the grease from her fingers with a grubby handkerchief and pressed the button for the door.

"Thanks," the young man said. "I've brought a friend, too."

"Oh?"

"Mister Naoto!" Teddie popped up from behind Yosuke and launched himself at the engineer, latching onto her arm.

"Teddie…How wonderful to see you again." Naoto shook her arm a little, but the moogle refused to budge.

"Let's get this show on the road," Yosuke muttered, closing the airship door. "The sooner we get back, the better. I'm sick of this place."

"I concur," Naoto said. She thought it a little strange that Yosuke wasn't very happy to see Souji, because it was clear that they used to know each other. The engineer put it out of her mind, deeming it to be none of her business. She went to the airship controls and flicked a few switches, smiling a little as the engine roared to life. Yosuke settled down into a chair, yawning loudly as he did.

"Teddie, would you mind letting go of me?" Naoto asked.

"Aw, but Mister Naoto-"

"_Now_, Teddie."

"Aww, you're no fun either, kuma. Why doesn't anyone like Teddie today?"

"Is it because you tried to grope the princess earlier?" Yosuke called casually from his seat, causing Naoto to nearly gag in surprise.

"You did _what_?" she demanded, prying the robot from her arm, "You promised Cid that you would behave!"

"I was bearhaving like a gentleman!" Teddie retorted, "It was a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding my ass," Yosuke chuckled, "You're just a pervy little robot."

"Hmph." Teddie scuttled out of Naoto's reach and rolled to the other side of the ship.

Naoto settled into her pilot's seat and reached for a detective novel. She sighed when loud bangs began to sound from the back of the ship, but she did her best to ignore them.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Hangar Bay**

"Yer back early," Cid called. Teddie whizzed out the ship, squealing delightedly at being back home, and Naoto followed shortly after. Yosuke muttered his thanks and slipped out through the door on the other side of the ship.

"Something came up. You've heard, I presume?" Naoto said. She checked to make sure everything was turned off before rejoining the older engineer.

Cid shook his head in response to her question, so Naoto sighed and told him about the Port Island incident. The older engineer's eyes narrowed at the news.

"So the princess is stayin' in the empire?" One didn't have to be fluent in body language to know that Cid was immensely displeased at the news. His eyes narrowed and his voice dropped to a growl, but Naoto felt that he had no reason to be angry with her.

"She believed that would be the safest course of action. It wasn't my place to question her."

Cid glared at his apprentice, implying that he didn't give a damn about Naoto's place. Naoto arched en eyebrow, daring him to tell her that she had been wrong.

"You shouldn't 'ave left 'er there," he snarled.

"I apologize. Next time I'll be sure to disobey a direct order from the princess."

He grunted and returned to his office, no doubt to continue working on the blueprints for Teddie's new body. The moogle robot squeaked in the background, completely ignorant of the tension in the air around him.

"Mister Cid!" he chirped, zooming over to Cid's office, "We met your nephew, kuma!"

Naoto groaned; she had shoved her conversation with Souji into the back of her mind. Now that she thought about it, though, she wondered how Teddie knew about that. He must have eavesdropped on their conversation before rushing out to tell them about Port Island.

Everything was silent in the hangar bay; Teddie was waiting for his creator's response to this exciting bit of information.

"I have no nephew," Cid muttered. His roguish accent had vanished, making him sound more like an Imperial.

"That's not true, kuma," Teddie insisted, "Mister Souji said-"

"Stop it, Teddie. I have no nephew, so this 'Mister Souji' person must have deceived you. Ya got that?" he added, slipping back into his former speech pattern.

"Ask Mister Naoto!" Teddie cried, "He was the one talking to Mister Souji!"

"Naoto!" Cid roared. Naoto winced at his tone and volume; this couldn't mean anything good. She breathed deeply and walked over to the pair of them. Teddie rushed to her side and hid behind her legs, shaking in fear. They had never seen Cid get very angry before, and now he was positively livid.

"Come with me," he ordered. He headed toward the door that led outside, and Naoto followed him after prying Teddie from her person.

"Can I have your stuff if you die, kuma?" he whispered.

"No, you may not."

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace**

Minato gazed out the palace window as he tried to remember. Keeping track of days and weeks had become increasingly difficult since his death, and some days Minato had trouble remembering his own name. Today wasn't a very good day; he could only remember bits and pieces of the events of the past few years. The faces of his friends floated before his vision, and Minato smiled fondly at the memories he had of them. There were so many…he wondered what they were all up to now. He wished he had time to go see them all, but there would be little point. They could neither see nor hear him, and nostalgia alone could not strengthen the hold this world had on him.

The ghost sighed and brushed a lock of blue hair from his eyes. He was still here because of the promise he had made back then: to get rid of the Shadows. He had thought his death had done that, but it turned out that some shadows had escaped from Port Island a few years ago.

The door opened, and Minato swiveled his head lazily to see who it was. In truth, there was only one person it could be.

"You're still here?" It was the same question Souji had asked every day for the past few months. Minato smiled and nodded, but this action caused the hair to fall into his eyes once more.

"I'm afraid I'll have to put the Shadow-hunt on hold," Souji said, "The emperor's got me playing personal slave for the Amagian Princess. I probably shouldn't even be here now, but I thought I ought to let you know."

"How long?" Minato asked. He had never been sure of why or how he could talk as a ghiost, but he didn't feel like it was important enough to investigate. He could talk, he could move, and that was that.

"I don't know," Souji admitted. "Port Island's gone on lockdown, and I have a feeling it has to do with these Shadows. I'm sure Lady Mitsuru has her reasons, which will no doubt be calmly related to the rest of us in due time."

Lockdown? Minato raised an eyebrow quizzically, but Souji shook his head.

"We can talk later, Minato. Tohru's more on-edge than usual, so I need to hurry back if I'm to keep my job. Farewell." He waved and left, leaving the phantasm once more to his memories.

Minato shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. Every day Souji put off fighting Shadows was another day he was stuck here, in a world where he longer belonged.

"What are you up to, Mitsuru?" he wondered aloud. He eyed the horizon with a disinterested gaze, though behind that his mind was working rapidly to think of a way to get rid of the Shadows. According to the report from eight years ago, thirteen abnormal Shadows had escaped from the laboratory on Port Island. They were not as powerful as the Shadows Minato had dealt with before his death, but they were stronger than the typical Tartarus fare.

Souji had gotten rid of two Shadows so far, and he said he knew of a third. According to Souji, the Shadows had killed people and then taken their place in society, which Minato found odd. He could only assume that these Shadows were a bit different than the ones he was used to, which was perhaps why they were able to escape. If they could emulate people, it would have been quite simple to fool the scientists into thinking they were merely co-workers…

Minato's fingertips brushed against something metallic in his pocket, and he grimaced darkly. The Velvet Key had remained with him even in death, and he had since been determined to deter other unfortunate fools from getting sucked into that madness. He remembered when he first met Souji, and the gray-haired man had confided in him about a mysterious dream he had had. Minato understood immediately that Igor's goal was to send someone else to clean up what Minato could not, and Minato had been furious. He didn't want his fate to befall another, so he told Souji to refuse any sort of contract with the Velvet Room inhabitants.

He thought then of Elizabeth, the blonde attendant from the elevator. Souji had said that the attendant now was a woman named Margaret, who was apparently Elizabeth's sister. Where had Elizabeth gone? Minato thought about trying to find an entrance to the Velvet Room once more to see if she would be there, but he didn't want to bother with something so troublesome. His thoughts wandered away from that mysterious realm and back to the present, where he had to find a way to eradicate the remaining Shadows. There had to be a way to communicate with Mitsuru, or perhaps with someone else from SEES.

Minato thought of Akihiko, the reclusive monk who had gone off to train somewhere after the fight with Nyx. Finding him would be difficult, but that would not be the only problem they would face. Souji would have to do the talking, and Minato knew that Akihiko wouldn't believe that he was a ghost. Ken came to mind as well, but that was dispelled even more quickly than Akihiko. He didn't want Ken to get involved in anything like this again, not after all the strife he had already dealt with in his life. Yukari, Junpei, Fuuka…Minato wasn't sure where they were either. It was possible that they had all gone their separate ways; he hadn't seen them in about a year now. He knew that any one of them could have had a high-ranking position in Port Island's empire due to Mitsuru's influence, but he doubted that they would have asked for it. Yukari, certainly, would have gotten as far away from all that as possible. Junpei…he could be anywhere. Fuuka might have stayed; yes, Minato could see her staying at the capital for some reason or another.

There was no one else he could think of that could be of any help. Koromaru—Minato smiled—would probably not be able to help much. Was that everyone? His memory was starting to get foggy again. What about Ryoji? No…He was dead, right?

"I'm slipping again," the ghost murmured. He closed his eyes, wishing he could sleep. He remembered that he used to sleep a lot when he was alive, and he missed it. That feeling of slipping away from hectic reality into darkness...Minato hadn't felt that since he died.

"Sleeping again, Minato?" The ghost opened his eyes. Souji had returned, and he was going through the motions of his nightly ritual. He was very much a man of habit, something Minato couldn't identify with.

"I wish, Souji. I was just thinking, mostly." Minato looked out the window and noticed that the moon was high in the sky. It was a full moon…not that that mattered any more.

"About Port Island?" Souji guessed as he selected a nightshirt from his closet. "I have a plan. Don't worry about it."

"There must be some way I can help," Minato muttered, "I mean, I have good connections. _Had_ good connections…"

"I'd rather not get involved with anyone in power there. The fewer people who know about my involvement, the better. Can you think of one person you can trust to keep this a secret, and who can help us? If not, I'll just go solo."

"Sorry," Minato said. "I've forgotten again. I'll let you know if anyone comes to mind."

"That's fine." Souji fell silent, but he looked thoughtful.

"Something on your mind?" the ghost guessed.

"Yes," Souji admitted, "But I'd rather keep it to myself for now. When the time comes…I'll tell you."

"I appreciate it," Minato replied drily. "Goodnight, Souji."


	7. Chapter 7

Early update this time around; I decided I didn't want to mess with updating this weekend. On a related note, I think I'll keep updating twice a week since that gives the illusion that the story is moving faster. Maybe.

Another thing: if people leave suggestions/ideas in the reviews, it's not that I blatantly ignore them. I do read them, but I've already got most of the story worked out. I did consider making Souji the villain, and I also considered a scene with him and Rise (in that path, they hooked up at Kanji's dad's funeral...yeah), so there's that. And just about everything has an explanation, so if you're patient stuff will get explained and/or work itself out.

Got some monsters in this chapter, so I'll give quick descriptions of them for those unfamiliar with FF:

Cactuars: Little green cacti with arms and legs that usually form a sort of swastika shape. They often have a surprised expression, and in some games they have their own colonies.

Behemoths: Bipedal, and perhaps mammalian, beasts with blue fur. They kinda look like bears, except leaner and more muscular. I think in FF they usually have swords, but I'm not sure why.

Thanks for the reviews, and I'm glad people are liking the story. I kinda like this chapter, although Kanji gets a little profane here. So, look out for that if that bothers you.

I don't own P4,P3, or Final Fantasy.

**Amagi: Outside the City**

Running around the plains just wasn't the same without Chie watching his back. Yosuke sliced through a pair of cactuars and grabbed the gil left behind, wondering why monsters carried money around in the first place. Cactuars didn't give much, but they were all Yosuke was going to risk fighting today. He was still tired from the return trip from Inaba and he was also unaccustomed to his new weapons.

The wolves watched him warily as they prowled the area to the north, but Yosuke paid them no mind. The wolves near the town weren't much tougher than cactuars, and their pelts could be sold for a pretty decent price in the bazaar. They would make worthwhile opponents, but not today…

The blazing summer sun seemed more merciless than usual. Yosuke wiped a dirty sleeve across his sweaty brow and sat down on a rock to take a break from fighting. The monsters seemed edgy—either that, or Chie's absence was seriously affecting Yosuke's ability to battle. He shook off this idea as preposterous. All that girl ever did was yell and kick shit into oblivion. The thief celebrated his newfound solitude, because it meant that someone wouldn't constantly be breathing down his neck or arguing with every little phrase he uttered.

"Ouch," he hissed when a needle buried itself in his arm, drawing blood. Yosuke rounded on the offending cactuar and lunged, knives drawn. The battle was short-lived, though it had had the unfortunate side-effect of attracting more cactuars. Yosuke ducked behind a rock to avoid the ensuing onslaught of needles, cursing his luck. A quick peek from behind his makeshift shield revealed more than a dozen pissed-off cactuars, and luckily they were too stupid to realize they could reach Yosuke merely by going to the other side of the rock. They uttered low, warlike chirps as they waited for their enemy to reappear. Yosuke took a deep breath and downed his last potion, praying that he would be able to get out of this alive.

The thief leapt from behind the rock with blinding speed, taking the small monsters by surprise. He spun his body around with his knives held out, knocking down a few of his stunned enemies. The others recovered quickly and began to ready their needles, but Yosuke never gave them a chance to fire. He kicked one of the way, narrowly dodged another, and jumped, slamming his knives down on another two. Some of the smarter cactuars began to back away, realizing they had misjudged their foe. Yosuke let them run, turning his attention to the monsters dumb enough to try and finish the fight. He delivered another spinning attack and finished them off individually after they landed on their backs. The thief took a final look around him to ensure that he had cleared the area before stowing his knives away.

"Whew," he breathed, noting that his collar was completely soaked with sweat. Yosuke trudged back to the city, feeling quite satisfied after the workout. He planned to go even further tomorrow, if his body was up to it. As he walked, the thief could already feel his muscles' protests from their strenuous use. Yosuke stretched, reaching his arms toward the sky. He would have to wait and see how he felt tomorrow.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle Courtyard**

Cid led Naoto out to the castle gardens, perhaps the most isolated place in the whole city. Everyone was about their duties elsewhere and the gardener had already tended to the plants. The older engineer gestured to one of the benches and Naoto sat. Cid leaned against a tree, massaging his temples.

"What did he say to you?" he asked, his voice low.

"Er-" _"Do I scare you?"_ rang in Naoto's head, but she tried to ignore it. What else had Souji said?

"He told you he was my nephew," Cid prompted impatiently.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Naoto said, starting to recall their later conversation, "He also said that you hate the empire."

"Is that all?"

"That's the gist of the conversation that involved you, yes." Cid blinked in confusion at the specification, so Naoto continued on in a rush, "We also talked about the airship."

Cid sat on the ground opposite Naoto and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. His apprentice wrinkled her nose in disgust as he lit up, but Cid paid her no mind.

"I'll explain," he began, watching the smoke swirl off into the air, "I think I at least owe you that much." Naoto opened her mouth to protest, wanting to say that he didn't owe her anything at all, but Cid stopped her with a glare.

"You ever heard of a guy named Ryotaro?"

Of course she had—who hadn't? Ryotaro was once considered the most skilled hunter of his time, and he had been respected all over the world despite his close ties to the former Adachian emperor. About ten years ago he had vanished without a trace, around the same time Emperor Tohru came to power.

"He was a hunter," Naoto murmured.

"He was a _bounty_ hunter," Cid corrected, "He hunted down the empire's enemies and often killed them. He was heartless brute who was only concerned with money…"

"I guess it depends on who you ask," Naoto started, but Cid shook his head.

"Trust me on this one. Listen, Naoto: you know how Ryotaro disappeared about ten years ago?" Naoto nodded. "Well, a couple years later, a brilliant engineer named 'Cid' started making a name for himself. No one knew much about this 'Cid' character, but his fervid patriotism to the Amagian kingdom and mechanical genius were enough to get him hired with no questions asked. Erm…how do I say this…?" His eyes narrowed and he looked up at the sky thoughtfully.

"Are you…are you trying to say that there's a connection?" Naoto asked.

"Not many people knew this about Ryotaro: he never hired a team of engineers to work on his airship. He always did all the maintenance and repairs on the machine himself."

"What happened to him?" Naoto got the feeling Cid knew more about Ryotaro than the general public, which intrigued her.

"He fell in love," Cid said, laughing. "And shortly after he got married, his older sister came in from the Amagian kingdom, asking if he could take care of her brat for a while. He was just a kid of fourteen at the time, but even then…" his voice trailed off darkly.

"Souji," Naoto realized, the pieces clicking together in her head. Ten years ago, Ryotaro the famous bounty hunter had decided to settle down with someone. He disappeared from the public eye with his wife and his nephew, and for some reason…he became 'Cid' a couple years later.

"So you used to live in the empire…but, what do you mean, 'even then'?"

"He was a smart kid. Too smart for his own good, usually. Souji had his eye on politics even back then, and sometimes he came with me to the royal palace whenever I'd finished a job. I'm guessin' that's how he met Tohru, but I don't know that for sure."

"Was Nanako-"

"She was just a kid," Cid muttered, "Souji looked after her most days, since I was usually off hunting criminals and my wife, Chisato, had her own job."

Naoto had never heard Cid talk about Chisato before; even Nanako had never mentioned her.

"What happened to her?" she asked cautiously.

"Killed," Cid choked. "And it's that bastard's fault. Souji," he clarified when he noticed Naoto's confusion. "He was a loner, you see, and Chisato was always worried 'cause he didn't have any friends. That's why she was so overjoyed when he told her about meeting the emperor's son…the two hit it off real well. She told Souji to invite him to dinner…" Cid's voice trailed off again, his mind lost in a memory.

"Did something happen?" Naoto prompted.

"Naw, not exactly. Tohru was a perfect gentleman, but…he fell for her. Hard."

"Chisato?" His repeated use of vague pronouns was beginning to get on Naoto's nerves.

"No, _Nanako_," Cid drawled sarcastically. "Yes, of course Chisato. Tohru started making more frequent visits to our house…she told me about them sometimes. He promised her everything in the world, apparently. She didn't go for it, though, and that royally pissed him off. Little Prince Pompous wasn't used to being turned down…" The elder engineer held up a hand when Naoto opened her mouth to ask for further details. "Let a man tell his story as he wants, kid. Like I said, Tohru wasn't used to not getting what he wanted. I don't think he knew how to handle it. This is speculation, mind you; I never talked to him about any of this. Anyway, I think his solution was that if he couldn't have her, no one could. That's why he had him kill her."

"What? Who?" Naoto had a feeling she knew who it was, but she wanted to be certain.

"Souji," Cid said with a sigh. "Tohru was always the type who hated to get his own hands dirty…I don't know with one hundred percent certainty it was him, but listen to this: I'd just gotten back from a hunt, y'see, and the first thing I see when I get back home is Chisato, lyin' there. Dead. Souji was standing there, lookin' surprised. He was gone the next day; all the stuff was moved out of his room and I haven't seen him since. I left, too. Packed my stuff up and was out of there in about three days, and I've never looked back."

"And that's when you became 'Cid'," Naoto finished. He nodded.

"What about you?" he murmured, "What brought you here?"

"Grampa sent me here after my parents were killed," Naoto explained dully, "I don't know why he did, and I haven't heard anything from him since then." It was certainly an anticlimactic end to the conversation, and Naoto hadn't quite given the full account. Cid peered at her suspiciously, but he didn't press her for details. The two sat in the garden for another few minutes, enjoying the peaceful silence.

"I should return to my work," Naoto declared quietly, leaving her superior in the garden, alone with his thoughts.

**Inaba, Amagi: Inn**

Yosuke awoke with a start to the polite, yet firm, rapping on the door. He had made a nice profit the day before thanks to his training, and had been able to afford a room at the inn for one night. The thief had never slept in an inn before, because the cost to put up two people was more than he and Chie had been willing to pay. Rumors of an inn's regenerative properties abounded, but Yosuke had not believed them until now. His body felt good as new, and his aching muscles had recovered nicely. He felt as though he could take on the world.

"Mister Yosuke," the innkeeper called, "There's a woman here to see you."

_A woman?_ Yosuke scratched his head, trying to think of a woman who would come to see him. The only two he really knew were Chie and Yukiko, and they were both in the empire. Any other women he knew were, at best, just passing acquaintances.

"She even gave a description," the innkeeper added. Yosuke winced—that couldn't be a good sign.

"I'm coming," he grumbled, scrambling into his dirty commoners' clothes and scraps of armor. The light leather armor he wore offered little protection, for it was quit thin and barely covered his torso and back. The thief rarely had extra money to spend on more, so he made do with what he had.

Yosuke tossed a handful of gil onto the bed as a tip and stormed out the door, brushing past the surprised innkeeper without a second glance.

"Where is she?" he snapped.

"Downstairs, sir," the man replied smartly. "I don't know how you know her, but…"

But, what? Yosuke furrowed his brow in concentration, trying with all his might to remember someone—_anyone_—who would come to the inn to find him.

A glorious vision awaited him at the bottom of the stairs, catching Yosuke's attention at once. She was blonde and had a mysterious, alluring sort of air. Her lips parted a bit in surprise at Yosuke's sudden appearance, but she quickly masked it behind a look of polite indifference.

"Here he is," the innkeeper called from behind the thief. "Dunno why you want to see him, though…"

"We have important business to discuss," the woman replied, her voice crisp and exact. Yosuke could not recognize her accent; it didn't have the same snootiness as the Imperials', but it also lacked the rustic folksy dialect of the Amagians. Perhaps she came from Port Island, or some foreign land he didn't know.

The innkeeper shrugged, indicating that it was clearly her loss. Yosuke waved goodbye and trailed after the woman as she walked out the door.

"We haven't been properly introduced," he said as they walked down the street.

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry about that. I must have just gotten so distracted by everything that I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Margaret."

Margaret shook Yosuke's hand warmly, glad that her task would not be so difficult as she had feared. The thief seemed a bit flustered by the prolonged contact, so she released his hand and continued to guide him through the city.

"We're going to the tavern," he realized after a bit. Yosuke was very familiar with this section of town.

"It will look more natural and there will be a lower chance of our being overheard," Margaret explained. The thief bit his lip, considering her words. True, it was very difficult to even hear yourself _think_ in that place. A single conversation would not be distinguishable from the rest of the din. But what had she meant by 'more natural'?

They arrived at their destination presently, and Yosuke stepped aside, allowing the lady to enter first. She graced him with another smile, and he returned it hesitantly.

There were two sections in the bar: one was for general drinking, located by the bartender's counter, and the other was just for casual sitting around, accessible by taking the staircase to the second floor. Margaret headed to the latter area, to Yosuke's dismay.

A waitress came by their table and asked if they wanted anything, but Margaret shooed her away. Yosuke shrugged apologetically at the girl, though she still stormed away from them in high temper.

"I do hope I wasn't too rude," Margaret murmured loudly enough for Yosuke to hear. She scanned the section quickly, but all she saw were a handful of other people absorbed in their own conversations. Margaret's gaze flicked all over the room, coming to rest at last on the man sitting across from her.

"What's this about?" Yosuke blurted.

Margaret hesitated, trying to think of how to best explain it. All she had ever known was Igor's roundabout way of speaking in riddles, and she and her sister had adopted similar speaking patterns. She had to choose her words carefully—try to speak with terms he would understand, without giving away too much.

"You've done hunts, right?" she asked, nodding to the various posters that scattered the wall. Yosuke nodded, but he still looked confused. The last hunt he had done had been a few months ago, and it hadn't ended well. He couldn't guess why someone would be approaching him to carry out _another_ one.

"I want you to do a sort of hunt for me," she said, "Will you hear me out?"

He was tempted to tell her that asking him to do a hunt was a terrible idea, but his father had taught him to never turn down a beautiful woman. Besides, completing hunts always came with rewards.

"What're you paying?"

"Five hundred thousand gil."

The thief was certain his heart stopped for an instant when she said that. _Five hundred thousand!_ He could buy and entirely new wardrobe with that kind of money, or maybe an airship! Hell, he could probably buy his own private island. Who was this woman that she could just throw around offers like that?

"I take it from your gape that you were not expecting that," Margaret said, the corners of her mouth threatening to curve upward once more.

"I—uh—wait, five hundred thousand?" was all Yosuke could manage to say.

"There's more," she added. He slumped in his seat, preparing for the worst.

"I'll give you the money up front," she said, "But on two conditions."

No one _ever_ gave the money up front, for a very good reason: there was no guarantee that the hunt would then be completed. Either this woman had been tricked into thinking Yosuke was an honest guy, or was very stupid. Her cold, distant yellow eyes (_wait, yellow? Had they always been that color?_) made Yosuke reconsider the second option, but the first didn't seem likely, either.

"What are the conditions?"

"First, obviously, you must agree to do carry out the hunt. However," she continued, holding up a hand to stop his interruption, "You may want to hear the second condition before doing the first." Margaret reached into her left sleeve and pulled out a yellowed, faded document.

"What's that?"

"It is a contract," she explained, placing the paper in front of him, "All it says is that whoever signs the document agrees to be responsible for his, or her, actions." From her other sleeve Margaret drew a quill pen, putting it next to the contract. Yosuke's eyes zigzagged as he read and reread the document. Finding no complex conditions or small print, the thief leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed.

"Let me get this straight," he declared. "If I sign that contract and agree to do this hunt of yours, you'll give me five hund-" he choked suddenly, still unable to believe the amount, "Five hundred thousand gil up front. Then what? What happens after I kill the monster?"

"I don't know," Margaret confessed, causing the thief to reopen his eyes curiously. "It is highly unlikely that our paths will ever cross again after this meeting, regardless of your decision. Once your job is completed, you may still find yourself bound by the contract. If that is the case, then I advise you to abide by it as best as you can. We have…ways of knowing whether you are true to your word or not." Her eyes flashed dangerously, and Yosuke didn't doubt her warning for a second.

"Right," he said, reaching for the quill. "You know I'm only doing this for the money, right?"

"I know."

He grinned, signing his name with a flourish on the indicated line. Margaret took back both quill and document, stowing them back to their original positions. Next, she took a small pouch out of the inside of her jacket and tossed it on the table.

"You can count it if you like," she said, "But all five hundred thousand is in there. I don't think it would be wise to spend it all in one place, given your reputation."

"Right," Yosuke muttered, snatching the pouch in one lightning-quick gesture. "What am I hunting for, anyway?"

**Sky: Floating Island Cave**

They had been wandering around the cave for hours, and there were still no signs of monsters. Rise could sense them on her radar, but every time the small party neared a spot that ought to be crawling with beasts they found nothing. Kanji seemed to be getting restless, though that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Mitsuo kept demanding to know if they were going the right way, despite Rise's constant assurances that yes, they _were_.

"If you've gotten us hopelessly lost as some sort of revenge, you've made a very grievous error," the sky pirate growled as they walked farther into the labyrinthine tunnels.

"I like being alive just as much as the next person," Rise snapped, "And I can't figure out why we haven't run into any monsters. Are they hiding or something?"

"That could be due to him," Mitsuo replied, jerking his thumb in Kanji's direction. "That stuff I gave him earlier might be sending them a signal or something. As I said, I'm not really sure what it does. Your friend was just a stupid, muscular guinea pig."

Kanji glared at the back of the captain's head. He had never before wished so badly that looks could kill.

"Wait a second," Rise hissed. She sat down against the wall, concentrating on her radar. She had only a fuzzy idea of what the cave looked like from a bird's-eye view, but she was beginning to notice a pattern. Monsters seemed to vacate an area shortly before they arrived, only to reappear after they had passed the area. But what if they didn't do the same thing when they were trying to leave? What if, instead of running away, the monsters were trying to trap them in the cave?

"We need to get out," Rise announced, getting back to her feet. "I think the monsters are trying to trap us down here."

"Please," Mitsuo scoffed, "These are _monsters_ we're talking about. They don't plan things like that. We're here for the treasure, and we're not leaving without it."

Rise stamped her foot in annoyance, but she knew she would be unable to sway the greedy sky pirate. She looked at Kanji to see what he would have to offer on the subject, but his attention was elsewhere. He was staring off into the distance with a blank expression, his jaw slightly slack and his eyes vacant.

"Hey, Kanji!" she snapped, "You're starting to look like one of Mitsuo's friends! What's wrong with you?"

"I feel…funny," he mumbled.

"Oh, _come on_. Why don't you just man up and-"

"Shut up." He had never cut her off like that before—he had yelled at her, sure, but he wasn't yelling this time. Kanji's fists were trembling at his sides, and he seemed to be fighting to keep his voice calm. "You just shut the hell up and don't talk to me. The sooner we find that _fuckin_' treasure, the sooner we can get outta this shit hole."

"Um, okay?" He wasn't even excited about finding the treasure! That was _definitely_ not like Kanji. Rise pouted at this new development, because she wasn't used to being in situations she didn't know how to handle. Heck, her friendship with Kanji only worked because she knew how to handle him. If he kept being distant and subdued like this…why, Rise might just have to find herself a new treasure-hunting partner.

They were getting closer to the treasure now, but the air was getting much colder as they progressed further down. Rise hugged herself tightly in an effort to keep warm and glanced at Kanji out of the corner of her eye. He was wearing his usual black vest, but he didn't seem to be suffering from the temperature drop.

"Aren't you freezing?" she asked through chattering teeth. Rise touched his arm to see if his skin was cold, but she jerked her hand back immediately. His skin was _hot_, like it was burning or something.

"You need somethin'?" Kanji snarled, glaring at her. Mitsuo glanced over his shoulder to see what the commotion was about, but turned back around after deeming it to be uninteresting.

"I just wanted to see if you were cold," Rise snapped, her temper flaring. After walking around with Mitsuo and his undead freak show, the _last_ thing she wanted to put up with was a moody Kanji. The young man shrugged his burly shoulders.

"I think it's pretty warm, actually," he confessed. "Like a fuckin' _sauna_ in here."

That couldn't be a good sign.

"Are you okay, Kanji?" He shot her an annoyed look, as though that were the stupidest question he had ever heard.

"I told ya, I feel _funny_. Don't know how else to describe it."

"Rise! Get up here!" Rise hurried around the crowd of zombies to Mitsuo, hoping Kanji would be okay.

"Where's the treasure?" the sky pirate demanded, "I don't see anything."

"It's-" According to her radar the treasure ought to be nearby, yet they were at a dead end. "Did we take a wrong turn?" she mused, trying to picture the cave's layout.

"We'll blast through the wall if we need to," Mitsuo said, "And I swear, if this is a trick…"

"Would you just shut up about that already? I'm doing the best I can!" Why was everything so _frustrating_ today? There was no way she could focus like this. Not with Kanji being stupid and Mitsuo getting suspicious. Her radar had never been wrong before, so-

"Uh oh," she groaned, "We're gonna have company in a couple minutes."

"The monsters?" Mistuo guessed.

"Yeah. Tons of them. Got any brilliant ideas?"

"Well," Mitsuo said, glancing at Kanji, "I have a couple, yeah."

_They're coming_. This single thought was all that ran through Kanji's mind, because he _knew_. He could smell the monsters—all of them—waiting for the right moment. Blood seemed to course unnaturally through his veins, threatening to deafen him with its intense pounding. It sounded like a fuckin' sledgehammer! And this heat…ugh, he was starting to _sweat,_ it was so damn hot down here… Kanji wondered if the monsters could smell him, too. He picked up the scent of fear from a few of them, but most of all he could feel their hunger. It was so great that he was starting to feel hungry as well; a terrible, raw hunger that gnawed at him.

The zombies were starting to give him wary looks but Kanji didn't care. They probably didn't know what he was going through—hell, could they even feel anything anymore? Every sense had been magnified tenfold, driving Kanji insane with his newfound awareness. He glared at the zombies because he envied them…what would it be like to be completely unfeeling? Kanji couldn't even remember what he had been like before the change, and it had only occurred a couple hours ago.

Rise was watching him, too. Her fear was stronger than anyone else's, but Kanji didn't have to use his nose to figure that one out. The terror was etched clearly on her face as she sat with her eyes closed, trying to find an escape route.

"Kanji," Mitsuo murmured near the young man's ear. Kanji flinched at the sound.

"You are going to go deal with those monsters," Mitsuo continued, his eyes glinting wickedly. "You can handle that, can't you?"

All Kanji could do was grunt, but that was apparently a good enough response. Mitsuo patted his back, pushing him toward the monsters at the same time.

_He's right,_ Kanji thought, somehow cutting through his clouded mind, _I can handle it. I'm a man, aren't I?_ As he neared the gathering of monsters, the pounding of his heart began to get louder. Every beat sent a strange sensation through his brain, making it foggier with each new wave.

"Ngh," he grunted, leaning against the cave wall for support. A strange red mist had entered his vision, and it wouldn't go away no matter how many times he blinked.

"Dammit," he growled, continuing on the path. What the hell was wrong with him?

A behemoth thundered toward him, the floor shaking with each step. Kanji didn't know why the monster was there, but he didn't have long to ponder it. A second after seeing the creature, the red mist in his eyes became much thicker and his vision was completely obscured. Something in him clicked—or snapped, he couldn't say—and Kanji lost consciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews/comments!

I handled the Shadows a bit differently here than they do in the game...the fights are gonna be pretty cheesy, just so you know. I really couldn't think of a good way to make them work...

Anywho, I don't own Persona 4, Persona 3, or Final Fantasy.

**Yasogami, Amagi: City Streets**

Yosuke stared at a map that he had purchased from the local cartographer. It displayed the capital city and some of the outlying areas in decent detail, but Yosuke was only concerned with one area in particular. The Konishi Vineyards, owned at one time by Saki and Naoki's family, lay to the west of the city. After they went out of business, the vineyards had fallen into decay and disarray. No one went there anymore because various rumors had started cropping up about ghosts that had begun to haunt the premises. The thief suppressed a shiver as he walked through the city streets; he didn't like ghosts.

Apparently, the storehouse in the vineyard had a locked cellar door that no one had ever found the key to. No one knew where it led, or who had even built the storehouse. The first person to claim the land for his family had just taken the storehouse with it. According to Margaret, something had been sealed beneath the cellar door—something terrible that was sealed away for a good reason.

"Hey," someone snarled, bumping into Yosuke. The thief looked up from the map, into an unfamiliar face.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"No, but I know your girlfriend." The burly, brown-haired man was starting to advance on Yosuke, followed by a blue-haired man.

"Girlfriend…?" Yosuke echoed.

"Yeah, the black belt. I have some unfinished business with her."

"Black-? Oh, Chie!" Yosuke laughed nervously, but the laughter died when the other man cracked his knuckles. "Y-You've got it all wrong! I barely know her!" He looked to the silent companion, figuring him to be the calmer of the two.

"What's your name?" the man with blue hair asked.

"Eh?" The belligerent man rounded on his friend.

"I'm Wedge, and this is Biggs. We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot." Wedge extended his hand to the thief and Yosuke shook it, puzzled.

"Uh, Yosuke," he said. "Nice to meet you?"

"What the hell do you think you're-"

"Easy, Biggs. He says he barely knows her, so let's just leave it at that. What are you up to, Yosuke?"

Biggs gaped at Wedge, completely at a loss. Yosuke, too, was startled by the sudden turn in conversational tone, but he did his best to take it in stride.

"I was just going to go do a hunt," he said, "What about you?"

"We're off-duty today and we were looking for something to do when my friend here spotted you. Sorry about that, by the way."

"A hunt?" Biggs asked with interest. Here was something he could understand in this bizarre conversation.

"Yeah, at the Konishi Vineyard."

Their reactions were predictable, based on what Yosuke could already tell about them. Wedge swallowed and paled, but Biggs grinned with an adventurous gleam in his eye.

"I've always wanted to check that place out," the burly man said.

It sounded like he was offering to help, and Wedge seemed like he could be talked into it if pressured. Did that mean Yosuke would have to share some of the reward money with them? He unconsciously reached toward his back pocket to reassure himself that the gil was still there, and with satisfaction he noted that the money had not been stolen.

"What's the reward?" Biggs asked.

"Erm…a hundred thousand gil." That was two lies in one day.

Their eyes widened, which made Yosuke glad that he hadn't told them the true amount. They probably would have mugged him right then and there.

"Would you like some assistance?" Biggs offered. "We've been trained in combat."

Yosuke carefully considered his options as the two men awaited his reply. If they helped out, he would probably have to give each of them thirty thousand gil. On the other hand, money was no use to a dead man. His odds of surviving the hunt would be greatly increased if he had some help.

"Wait a second!" Wedge spluttered, "_We've_ been trained?"

"If you guys want to help out, I think I could afford to split the reward with you," Yosuke said.

"Pleasure working with you." There was an unmistakable glint in Biggs' eyes as he dragged Wedge after him, following Yosuke into the outskirts of the city.

Yosuke felt the key Margaret had given him in his pocket. He drew a sort of warming comfort from it, because the feeling of the key reminded him of all the gil that rested in his pouch.

The vineyard was located a short walk from Yasogami, and as soon as the party came upon it did they see why people thought it was haunted. The fields had long since fallen into disrepair, and every inch of ground was covered in prickly weeds. The rundown shack stood at the other end of the vineyard, looking like the perfect addition to the gloomy scene. It only had a few streaks of peeling paint left on its walls, boarded-up windows, and an empty doorframe. Yosuke assumed that the door, along with anything of potential value, had been pilfered long ago.

"Are we really going in there?" Wedge moaned, surveying the scene with a look of great despair.

"Lead on," Biggs said gruffly, nodding at Yosuke. The thief swallowed the lump of fear that had risen to his throat and nodded back, hoping that he looked confident.

Yosuke opted to walk around the field to the shack, not wanting to test his worn leather sandals against the prickly thorns scattered throughout the vineyard. As he walked he never kept his eyes on one spot for long; he was constantly afraid a ghost was going to pop out of nowhere and do…whatever it was that ghosts did.

"Split up and look around for a door," Yosuke ordered when the three of them reached the shack. Wedge's face brightened when Yosuke suggested this, but fell immediately when Biggs grabbed his arm and dragged him into the shack. The thief checked the ground nearby for a trapdoor, but he couldn't find anything.

"Hey!" Biggs called. Yosuke dashed into the shack, key in hand. The burly guard was standing beside a strange door with his arms crossed. He looked quizzically at the thief, but Yosuke was too distracted to notice. The key in his hand was practically burning, and Yosuke had to fight to keep himself from running to the door and jamming the key into the keyhole. Something beyond the prospect of gil was pulling him toward that door—some bizarre, unnamable excitement. Yosuke slid the key into the lock and heard the satisfying click, his heart pounding in his ears.

He opened the door noiselessly, revealing a long staircase that descended into darkness. Wedge whimpered from somewhere behind him, but Yosuke ignored it. He started down the stairs with his knives held at the ready, wondering what awaited him at the bottom. A loud slam caused the thief to freeze in his tracks. He whirled around as best he could in the sudden darkness and rushed back up the stairs, throwing himself at the door.

"What the hell?" he roared, pounding with all his might.

"It just closed!" Biggs yelped. Yosuke heard the other men's grunts as they tried in vain to pry the door open once more, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had been set up. Had they really had any intention of helping him at all?

"We'll go get help!" Wedge shouted with more than a hint of panic.

"Try not to die," Biggs added. There was a series of loud cracks and creaks as they hurried away, and then there was nothing.

"Damn it," Yosuke hissed, his hands falling back to his sides. If only he had thought to bring a lantern or something. _Might as well keep going_, he thought, cautiously feeling around in the dark for the next step. He gripped the walls for dear life as he descended and hoped that the end of the stairs was nearing.

A nicely-lit passageway greeted the thief when he at last reached the bottom. _Who kept those torches lit?_ he wondered as he proceeded down the passage. His steps echoed loudly in the silent hall, and Yosuke could've sworn that he heard something else move in the shadows at least once.

The passage began to slant down slightly, and after walking for a few more minutes Yosuke began to see faint traces of his breath after each exhale. He wrapped his arms around himself for extra warmth and started to walk a little faster.

"Great," he groaned when at last saw the end of the hall. There stood another door that looked exactly like the one aboveground, complete with keyhole. No adrenaline pumped through his veins as he opened this one, though; the previous excitement was replaced by dread. What could possibly be behind this door?

He opened the door slowly, taking great care to check what was on the other side before stepping in. It was a vast, circular room, and it seemed to be a dead end. Something caught Yosuke's eye to his left, and once he started to focus on that it began to take shape and form.

Despite a nagging voice in his head (it sounded suspiciously like Chie) telling him to get as far away from the mysterious thing as possible, Yosuke began to cautiously move toward it. The closer he got, the clearer the creature's form became; when he was close enough to reach out and touch it, he could see that what sat before him was something that looked human. It had settled on the form of a young man with messy brown hair, dressed in nobleman's clothes.

"You probably shouldn't come any closer," the creature rasped. The thief leapt back, surprised by the voice—it was similar to his own, yet carried a dark undertone that sent chills through him. Yosuke drew his knives and twirled them around his fingers, prepared to fight if the creature made a violent gesture.

"I don't want to fight," it said, "Can't we just talk for a bit? I've never had a visitor." Its voice was muffled because its head was still buried in its arms. Feeling more than a little uneasy, Yosuke slid his knives into their holders and took a couple more steps back.

"What exactly did you want to talk about?" he asked.

The creature moaned and stretched itself out like a cat, still keeping its face covered. "I believe that normally at this point in a conversation one of us would ask the other to talk about himself. There is no need for that, though."

_What the heck?_ Yosuke thought, _He's talking like we're at a tea party or something. This is definitely weird._

"How did you get down here? I thought they would have thrown that key away after they sealed me in here…Wait, don't tell me. I wonder, though—who is this 'Margaret'? Why did she give it to you…?"

"How'd you know about that?" Yosuke demanded, his voice rising. "What the hell are you?"

"That's a good question, Yosuke."

"How did you know my _name_?"

"Well, now," the creature chuckled and sat back against the wall, "How do you think?" It lifted its head at last, fixing its burning gaze on the thief. Yosuke backed away even further, for the face that stared at him now was his own. Some features were still trying to reorganize themselves, but there was no mistaking that visage.

"A-Are you me?" he whispered, "What is going on here?"

"I'm not you. Not yet, anyway." The fake Yosuke flashed a lopsided smirk and pushed itself upright.

"The 'standing' thing is harder than I thought," it marveled, "How do you…? Ah, center the weight, and then…yes, I see. How strange!" It took an experimental step toward Yosuke, and then another. The creature beamed proudly at its newfound ability, though it nearly fell over after the third step.

"Better take it slow," it chuckled, steadying itself against the wall. "Come on, let's keep talking, dude!"

"Dude…?" Yosuke muttered. He was the only person he knew who called people that.

"Yeah! You're telling me you'd pass up a chance to talk with yourself? A lot of people would kill for this!"

"Uh, I'm not so sure about that," Yosuke muttered as he watched his doppelganger attempt to walk once more. "But sure, why not? What are you?"

"I'm a Shadow," the creature said. "I don't know how to describe it…I guess you'd call us monsters. We're special, though, because we can copy things. Anything at all! And if we copy 'intelligent' creatures," the Shadow snickered, "we'll eventually gain their memories, abilities, and sometimes even their personality. Cool, huh?"

"Why?" Yosuke asked, "What's the point?"

"It depends," the Shadow replied, "Mostly it's just a defense mechanism, but we've been wanting to use it another way. We figured that we could actually live in the human world if we finished the copying process." The thief noticed that the deeper undertone had started to fade, and that the Shadow's voice was starting to sound more and more like his own.

"But what about the people you copy? Wouldn't people notice if there were two Yosukes wandering around?"

"Don't be stupid," the Shadow said, laughing, "There aren't going to be two Yosukes. There's only gonna be one. Me."

"Is this where the fighting comes in?" Yosuke guessed, reaching for his knives once more.

"Aw, I wanted to talk more. If you're gonna be that way, dude, then I guess I have no choice." The Shadow held its arms out with its palms upward and scrunched up its face in concentration. Yosuke watched in horror as a pair of dark, wispy blades rose out of the creature's hands. He was clearly out of his league here. Where was Chie when he needed her…? _Oh, right,_ he though bitterly, _She's having a blast with Souji and the princess. Damn it…_

"The way you fight is barbaric," the Shadow-Yosuke lamented, "You just jump into a fight without thinking. _I_'m going to teach you to fight like a gentleman. Knives up!"

"…the hell?" Yosuke grumbled, raising his weapons.

"Cuz I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you go first," the Shadow said. "Come on, attack me!"

"Uh, ok?"

The Shadow stood still, mocking Yosuke with its taunting smile. The thief ran up to the creature and jumped and brought his knives slashing down, forming an X.

"Ah, good hit!" the Shadow said, reeling back a bit. "I'd better heal myself."

"What?"

A white aura surrounded the Shadow and it began to murmur the words for the magic spell. Realizing that his opponent was completely vulnerable, Yosuke dashed up for another attack.

"Wait your turn!" the Shadow snarled, its voice making Yosuke freeze on the spot.

_Wha the heck? My feet can't move!_ The thief glared down at his legs, but they refused to respond.

"Cure!" the Shadow cried, its casting complete. The white aura expanded and enveloped the creature, covering it for a brief instant before disappearing.

"That's cheating," Yosuke said. "Is that just a Shadow thing?"

"Actually, it's a 'me' thing. We all have our own special abilities. _Now_ it's your turn."

"This 'turn-taking' stuff is bullshit," Yosuke grumbled. "How am I supposed to fight you if you can heal yourself?"

"You'll have to figure it out, dude. Hurry up and attack me already!"

Yosuke frowned, wondering if he could use his speed to his advantage. There was no telling what the shadow would do next, so he just raised his knives in a defensive position.

"Aw, you're just gonna defend? Not cool." The Shadow grinned and began to chant another spell, but this time it was surrounded by a green aura. The thief tightened his grip on his knives and prepared for the worst.

"Aero!" the creature shouted, summoning up a tornado.

"You gotta be kidding me," Yosuke hissed, wincing as the spell crashed into him, whipping his hair and clothes. It hadn't done any serious damage, much to the Shadow's disappointment.

"Man," it said, "Guarding is so boring…"

"My turn," Yosuke declared. He crouched down, noting with satisfaction the Shadow's confused look. After waiting for a second or two, he sprang forward with as much speed as he could muster. The creature stumbled back a bit in surprise, trying to find where Yosuke had gone. The thief stopped himself when he was behind the Shadow and struck at its back. It let out a grunt of pain and lurched forward, trying to wheel around to face its opponent.

"Very good," the Shadow said. "But now you've left yourself open."

Yosuke instinctively tried to raise his arms to block, but they wouldn't move. _It's not my turn,_ he realized. _This battle is so weird. What if all of them were like this?_

"Aero!"

The tornado came once again, slamming into Yosuke with astounding force. The razor winds sliced through his clothes and skin; the leather armor was little more than useless against the magical gale.

"Ouch," Yosuke muttered. He pulled a potion out of his satchel and drank it, feeling the pain ease immediately as the concoction made its way through his system. The cuts closed, forming small white scars, and the bruises slowly faded.

"We're even now," the Shadow said. "I guess it's my turn to heal, then." It called up the white magic once more, healing the wound on its back.

_I have maybe one or two potions left,_ Yosuke thought, _So I might as well attack while I can and hope that I can do more damage than it can heal_. He didn't bother to use his speedy attack this time, he just leapt at the creature and attacked the way he did the first time.

The creature shook off the attack and cast Aero once more, and Yosuke could do little more than cry out in pain as the winds ripped through him once again. He used a potion again on his next turn, and the Shadow responded by using its turn to heal.

"It's more fun when you're creative with your attacks," the Shadow remarked casually, "I really didn't see that one coming before."

_It wants creative, huh? Let's see_… Yosuke crouched and sprang forward again, but this time he didn't stop when he was behind his doppelganger. He used his momentum to run partway up the wall, back flipping off of it while bringing the knives down. The creature howled in pain as the weapons slashed through its shoulders, and it knelt down for a second to catch its breath.

"How was that?" Yosuke taunted, twirling the knives around in his fingers. He tried to flip one up in the air and catch it again, but he missed and had to quickly snatch the knife up from the floor.

"Not bad," the Shadow choked. "I definitely need to heal now." It stood with its arms wide, chanting the same spell as before, but no white aura appeared. The creature cracked an eye open and glanced down at its feet. Seeing that the spell was not working, it growled and started chanting louder.

"I think it's broken," Yosuke remarked.

"I must've used up all my magic," the Shadow grumbled. "Oh well, I still have these. How do you use them again? I think I've got it…" It walked up to Yosuke and made a swiping motion, but missed him completely.

"Shit," it hissed, "I haven't mastered it yet."

Yosuke almost felt pity for the Shadow. He had walked into its home and acted pretty hostilely, but on the other hand the creature had implied that it would need to kill him in order to take his place in the world above. When it came down to kill or be killed, Yosuke knew which he would rather do.

Shadow-Yosuke watched the thief prepare to attack with a strange grin.

"Remember Saki?" it asked, catching Yosuke by surprise.

"What did you just say?" he demanded.

"Well, this is her family's vineyard. I just wondered if you'd thought about it. You've been trying to forget her, haven't you? That probably isn't easy when you see her brother practically every day."

"Don't you know this stuff already? I thought you could copy my memories."

"You need to talk about this stuff, dude! Just let it all out! I mean, you can hardly talk to Chie about this sorta thing. Her solution to most problems is to use force. Lots of force." The two Yosukes shared a smile at the joke, but the real Yosuke sobered at once.

"There's nothing to talk about," he said, "You were just trying to distract me, weren't you?"

"Of course there's stuff to talk about! Dude, you were crazy about that girl."

"Yeah, that did me a lot of good, didn't it? She couldn't stand me."

"Maybe she just didn't know the real you! You were always hanging around with-"

"Shut up," Yosuke snarled, cutting the Shadow off. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine," the creature said, "That bought me all the time I needed."

Yosuke felt incredibly stupid. All it wanted was time to learn how to attack; it didn't actually give a damn about his problems. He attacked his foe again, but it didn't do much damage. His heart wasn't in the fight anymore.

"Don't give up," the Shadow said, "It won't be fun anymore if you do." It cackled and launched itself at Yosuke, knives raised high.

_This is ridiculous_, Yosuke thought with sudden clarity. He jerked his arms up just in time to block the creature's attack, much to its surprise.

"It wasn't your turn!" it yelled, "How did you do that?"

"I'm not playing by your rules anymore," Yosuke replied, his voice calm, "If I'm going to beat you, I'm gonna do it my way." Shadow-Yosuke's eyes widened in terror and it opened its mouth to protest, but the thief didn't give it the chance to even begin. He threw himself onto the Shadow, grimacing as he plunged his knives into the place where the creature's heart ought to be.

"Not…fair…" the creature gasped, struggling to push Yosuke off.

"Screw you and your rules, _dude_," Yosuke hissed, pulling his knives back out swiftly. The Shadow cried out in pain, its scream echoing eerily in the circular chamber. Its body vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Yosuke kneeling on the cold stone floor.

"Ha," Yosuke panted, smiling, "I won." A wave of exhaustion overtook him, and he collapsed, unconscious.

**?**

"Welcome, young man, to the Velvet Room."

Yosuke sat up, disoriented and confused. A small, bald man with a large nose sat on the other side of the room and Margaret stood behind him. Her expression was unreadable, but the man was smiling.

"Where am I?" Yosuke mumbled.

"You're in the Velvet Room," the man said patiently. "I am Igor, and I believe you have already met my lovely assistant."

"I'm glad to see you are well," Margaret greeted calmly.

"Uh, you too." Yosuke got to his feet and took in his surroundings, which turned out to be rather bare. Igor was sitting in a plush, blue armchair, and there was a much simpler seat a few feet away. There were small, circular windows on the wooden walls, so Yosuke went to go look through one of them.

"Wow," he breathed. They were surrounded by miles of water on all sides, drifting along aimlessly in a large boat.

"It is interesting," Igor admitted, his small smile never leaving his face, "Now, would you mind taking a seat?"

"Oh, sorry." Yosuke sat in the chair opposite Igor and waited for the small man to continue.

"Thank you. As I was saying, this is the Velvet Room." He paused for dramatic effect, gazing at Yosuke with his large, bulging eyes. "Only those who have signed the contract may enter, though it is possible for these guests to invite others here." He sighed and glanced thoughtfully at the window. "You do not share the potential of the previous guests," Igor said, "Therefore, I cannot provide my unique services to aid you; however, this room will be crucial to your upcoming journey."

"Am I asleep?" Yosuke asked suddenly, for the thought had just occurred to him. He had no idea what the other man was meant about 'potential' or his 'journey', but he doubted that asking would get him anywhere.

"We are in a place between dreams and reality," Igor explained, "But perhaps it would be easier for you to think of this as a dream." Yosuke waited for the man to continue, but all Igor did was stare unblinkingly back at Yosuke. The thief took this as a sign that Igor had finished, so he ventured another question.

"What happened to that Shadow thing? What was that?"

"Hmmmm…what indeed? I'm afraid you'll have to figure that out for yourself, young man." He chuckled, and the eerie sound sent chills down Yosuke's spine.

"Our time is up," Margaret declared, "He must now return to his world."

"So it would seem," Igor agreed. "Until we meet again, young man. Never forget the contract…"

"What?" Yosuke called as the room began to spin. Igor and Margaret faded from his vision, leaving him in inky blackness.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Konishi Vineyard**

When Yosuke came to, he found that he was once again in the real world. A small silver ring lay on the ground in front of him, and he was certain it hadn't been there before. As a thief, something like that would have caught his eye at once. Yosuke picked it up and examined it closely: it was a plain ring except for a thin green stripe that looked like emerald that ran all the way around its circumference. Figuring that it was as good as his, Yosuke slid the ring onto his finger. A strange voice echoed through his mind when he did, and it only said one word: _Jiraiya_. Shrugging this off as just another bizarre occurrence in a long string of bizarre occurrences, Yosuke stood up and scanned the room. There was no evidence of the battle, and the only way to go was back the way he had entered.

The previously-sealed door began to glow when Yosuke touched it, somehow reacting to the ring on his finger. It shimmered and disappeared, to the thief's surprise.

"Well, I guess I know how to get out of here," he said. He continued down the long hallway back to the dark stairs, his heart starting to race with excitement. What else could the ring do? Yosuke opened the door at the top of the stairs the same way he had opened the previous one, and was nearly blinded by the daylight breaking through a window in the shack.

"Someone's coming!" he heard a muffled voice shout. There was a clamor of metal and of shifting feet following this announcement, setting the thief on edge once again. He readied his daggers and walked boldly out of the shack— into a crowd of nearly twenty soldiers.

"You're coming with us, _thief_," one of them declared, grabbing Yosuke's arm roughly.

"What? I haven't done anything!" Yosuke yelped. He wished furiously for the ring to activate, but it just rested on his finger. What was it supposed to _do_, anyway?

"You're trespassing on private property," the other man snarled, "And you were probably up to no good in there. Come on, we're going to the castle."

"Oh, is the princess back?" Yosuke asked. She would have to pardon him if he told her what had happened. If she believed him, that is.

"None of your damn business. Now _move_."


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews/comments! This chapter's pretty long...the longest one yet. The next two'll be pretty short, since they were originally an ultra-long chapter (more than 6000 words, which is a little ridiculous), and after that I'll take a bit of a break.

The stuff in this chapter that isn't Rise-oriented is mostly building up to stuff that will happen later. Also, Taro Namatame finally shows up! His role isn't that major in this chapter.

Anywhatsit, I don't own the rights Persona 3, Persona 4, or Final Fantasy. (Is anyone else excited to see Project Cafe? I am.)

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace**

"What are you working on?" Emperor Tohru leaned against the doorframe and watched Souji tinker with a small metal box.

"That moogle gave me an idea," Souji explained as he messed with a handful of wires, "It intercepted the airship's radio waves, and that was how we got to learn about Port Island before most of the rest of the world. So I figured, how hard could it be to build my own interceptor? A lot goes on on those airwaves."

"I see," the emperor said, though his tone was far from impressed. "Let me remind you of something, Souji. If I wanted you to sit around and play with gadgets, I would have hired you as an engineer. But I didn't, did I?"

"No, my lord. You did not." Souji sighed and stowed the unfinished radio under his bed. "I shall go attend to the princess as soon as I look presentable."

"Excellent. Oh, and one more thing," the emperor lowered his voice conspiratorially, "Let me know if you hear anything useful."

"Of course, my lord," Souji said with a slight bow.

**Sky: Deep in the Cave**

An inhuman roar echoed around the cavern suddenly, causing a number of loose rocks to fall onto Mitsuo, Rise, and the zombie crew.

"What was that?" Rise demanded, covering her head with her arms and straining her sensors to discern the source of the commotion.

"Guess," Mitsuo replied, his hollow laugh joining in with the rising cacophony of grunts and shouts.

"Where's-" Rise began, looking around wildly to spot her fellow treasure hunter. Kanji was nowhere in sight.

"You guessed it," the sky pirate chuckled, "I'd say we give him, what, five more minutes with those beasts? Plan B is working out better than I'd imagined…"

Without quite knowing what she was doing, Rise dashed down the passage toward the sounds of battle. She didn't know what she was going to when she found Kanji; she just knew that she couldn't stand to be in Mitsuo's presence any longer. That sky pirate's cruel streak seemed to stretch on into infinity.

He followed, of course, but Rise ignored him. She concentrated on getting a reading of the area ahead, but it was difficult because of the intense energy levels being given off there. Someone—or some_thing_—was exuding energy that went off the charts, and Rise wondered with a sinking feeling if it was related to Mitsuo's concoction.

"Sounds like the battle's almost over," Mitsuo observed quietly. Rise listened, and she could tell at once that the sounds were indeed starting to die down. There was still the occasional roar, but it soon became clear that only one thing was roaring up there. Rise continued cautiously down the passage, trying to desperately think of a spell that she could use for defense. The only spell that came to mind was White Wind, which wouldn't do her much good now. _Unless_…Rise glanced around her, a scheme beginning to form. It was risky, of course, but if it worked…

**Sky: Deep in the Cave**

_Shit_. Kanji opened his eyes slowly, wincing a bit from the pounding pain in his skull. He looked around a bit and realized that he was lying on a cave floor and that the air was heavy and smelled of blood. The treasure hunter wrinkled his nose in disgust and tried to sit up, only to find that his limbs weren't quite working properly.

"Shiiiiit," he moaned. It was worse than being shot by Mitsuo's special gun—at least then his limbs hadn't felt like they were about to fall off. Kanji would take numbness over pain any day.

"Kanji!" he heard Rise cry, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. He tried to crane his neck up to see her, or to at least push himself up an inch or two, but it was in vain.

"Are you okay?" Rise asked, "What happened?"

"Dunno," Kanji mumbled, "One minute I was comin' down here to do…somethin', I don't remember what, and then the next thing I know I'm here and everything hurts. Where's Mitsuo? I'm gonna rip that guy's head off…"

"Now probably isn't the time for that," Rise said with a wry smile, "But I have a plan."

"Oh, great. Can't wait to hear it." Rise's plans always were a bit…risky.

"Hey, remember the promise we made?" she whispered.

"The one about animal crackers?" Rise always made a big deal about promises and pinky-swear stuff, so Kanji had trouble keeping track of them all.

"_No, stupid_. The one about how I make the plans and how you follow them?"

Kanji rolled his eyes; he was pretty sure she just made that one up. His companion checked around to see if anyone could listen in on what she was about to tell him, but Mitsuo seemed completely uninterested in them. His zombies were milling aimlessly around the room, as zombies are wont to do.

"Do you think regular healing magic could help you?" Rise asked, her voice low.

"How the hell should I know? Do I look like the kinda guy who'd-"

"I'm going to cast White Wind," she continued over Kanji's retort, "And as soon as you're able to, I want you to run, Kanji. I'm pretty sure zombies are weak to healing magic, so you should be able to get enough of a head-start to get out of here."

" 'Pretty sure'? Aw, yeah, this is sounding great," Kanji muttered. He flexed his fingers experimentally and had to stifle a yelp of pain. That hadn't been a good idea.

"What part of this are we actually sure will work?" he asked.

"None of it," Rise admitted cheerfully.

"And what am I s'posed to do after I get out of here? Hijack the airship and leave you guys stranded here?"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," Rise replied. She sat back on her heels and concentrated on casting the blue magic.

_Dammit, there's no way this is gonna work. Even if she's right about everything, there's still Mitsuo. He ain't a zombie, so what's to stop him from comin' after me?_ Kanji felt the pain ebb away as Rise finished casting, and he didn't need her whispered, "_Go!_" to propel him to his feet. His body still felt a little sluggish, but Kanji forced it to move as he desired. Jumbled shouts echoed through the cave as he sprinted back to where he hoped the airship was, but Kanji ignored them and just hoped that Rise knew what she was doing. She probably could have been considered the brains of the duo, but that wasn't saying much.

Kanji couldn't hear anything that sounded like pursuit as he ran, so he slowed his pace a bit to get his bearings. There'd be no point in running fast just to end up back where he started. _Dammit_, Kanji thought for what felt like the billionth time, _I'm no good with map stuff. Where the hell am I going?_ He tried to remember tips Rise had taught him once about trying to find cave entrances (in case they got separated), but regretfully realized that he didn't often pay attention to things she told him.

"It's gotta get lighter, right?" Kanji muttered, "An' prob'ly warmer, too. Dammit, I can't see _shit_ down here. I shoulda taken that zombie's lantern or somethin'." Fortunately, he didn't run into any monsters as he stumbled around the dark cavern. As he considered this, he also began to wonder about the monsters Mitsuo had sent him after. Kanji could vaguely remember agreeing to take care of them, but that was shortly before his memory lapse. What had happened?

After what seemed like an eternity, Kanji began to be able to make out shapes of rocks and stalactites in the blackness, which meant that he must be getting close to a light source. The treasure hunter grinned and lengthened his stride in an effort to reach the light faster, and it wasn't long before he came upon an area that was flooded with sunlight. His eyes began to tear up from the sudden change, but Kanji didn't care. He sprinted out through the cavern's maw into the fresh air, laughing as a cool breeze brushed his skin lightly.

"Uh, now what?" he wondered aloud after his joyous interlude. The cave was the only thing to be found on the floating isle; no sooner had Kanji taken a few steps before he realized that the island ended twenty or so feet from the cave entrance. _The Hero_ was anchored a short distance away to Kanji's left, but he wouldn't take it unless there were no other options available to him. He paced around the edge of the island for awhile, weighing the few choices he had to choose from. 1: Take _The Hero_, 2: wait around and just hope Providence gave him an answer, or 3: go back into the cave. None sounded very appealing, so Kanji went with the second option and figured that if he waited long enough something was bound to happen.

As luck would have it (or perhaps the gods were on his side that afternoon, after neglecting him for so long) Kanji noticed a ship floating toward the island. It didn't look like it was going to dock, but rather pass under the island on its way to its destination. _I bet I could make it if I jump_, Kanji thought, watching the ship carefully. _Maybe I should…ah, fuck it. Real men don't hesitate!_ He took a running leap off the island's edge and jumped, praying that his luck would hold out long enough for him to land on the ship.

A loud crash and a broken bone or two later, Kanji opened his eyes and looked around. A middle-aged, worried-looking man was staring at him with bulging eyes. _Holy shit,_ he thought dazedly, _did I seriously just do that?_

"Wh-Who are you?" the man demanded, his voice shaky.

"Shiiiit," Kanji moaned in response. His legs hurt like hell.

"You just appeared out of the sky!" the man gasped, "A-Are you hurt? Hang on a minute!" He retreated to a different corner of the ship and returned a moment later with a first-aid kit.

"It's not much," he admitted dismally, "But it's the best I can do right now. I'll take you to a white mage as soon as we get to Yasogami."

"Yasogami?" Kanji echoed, "Why there?" He had tried to avoid big cities since he and Rise had popped up on bounty hunters' radars, but he supposed that not many would try to cause a scene in the middle of the capital city.

"That's my next stop," the man said. "I mean, I could take you someplace else if you want, but my job-"

"'S fine," the treasure hunter muttered. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Taro," the man replied. His gray eyes darted around nervously, as though afraid that someone could have been eavesdropping on their conversation. "I'm the owner of this cargo ship." Taro handed Kanji a potion from the first-aid kit and then crossed his arms, watching the newcomer wearily.

"Sorry, 'bout this," Kanji said. It had just dawned on him that he had jumped onto a stranger's airship. "I was trying to get offa that island, and, uh…your ship looked like a pretty good way to do that."

"I understand," Taro replied graciously. "I've heard some strange things about those floating islands."

"Who's the pilot?" Kanji asked, looking around.

"This is a state-of-the-art imperial ship," the older man explained proudly, "It has an auto-pilot function."

"Whoa, no shit?" the treasure hunter cried, "I've always wanted a ship with that…"

"It is pretty useful." The deliveryman gave Kanji a wan smile and stood up. "It does malfunction sometimes, though, so I have to check up on it every once in a while. Just yell if you need anything." He nudged the first-aid kit so that it was within the younger man's reach and left.

_Seems like an okay guy_, Kanji thought as he rummaged through the kit, _'Sides, I've never been to the capital. _

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle dungeon**

Yosuke slammed his forehead into the dungeon wall for what must have been the thousandth time that hour. _This is what I get for trusting strangers_, he thought bitterly, glaring at the young man who stood guard outside his cell. Wedge had stopped worrying about the head-banging a while ago, and now had his nose buried in a book.

"Hey," Yosuke called, "How long am I supposed to be in here?"

"Dunno," Wedge replied, turning a page indifferently, "We can't decide on your crime. There's stealing, obviously, but no one's sure whether you were trespassing on private property or not. The penalty for thievery is two years, and trespassing could land you another two or three."

"Are you saying I could be here for five years?" the thief demanded. What kind of justice system was that?

Wedge sighed and slipped a piece of paper into his book to mark his page before closing it.

"Listen," he began, "I really am sorry that things turned out this way. Biggs and I didn't escape trouble ourselves, you know; why do you think we've been the only two stationed outside your cell? The captain wasn't too happy when he found us in a suspicious place like that. We couldn't really say that we were helping a hunter out for money, so we told them that we were waiting outside the building to nab you. He still stuck us with prison duty, though…"

"Wait a second. You can't prove I stole anything!" Yosuke gripped the bars and pressed his face against them as hope flared within him.

"Right," Wedge chuckled dryly, "Because I'm sure that five hundred thousand gil just magically appeared in that pouch of yours? And that you had that ring on you the whole time and just now chose to wear it?"

_Crap. Maybe I shouldn't have lied to them about the money. I doubt Margaret'll be willing to refund it…_ He groaned and sagged back against the wall of his cell.

"What is it with that ring, anyway?" Wedge asked, "We couldn't get it off your finger. Is it magic or something?"

"I don't know," the thief replied honestly. The ring certainly didn't seem all that magical. It just sat uselessly on his finger, practically mocking him.

The guard looked at him suspiciously but didn't press the issue. Instead, he returned to his book and became dead to the world once more.

**Sky: Deep in the Cave**

Rise felt immense relief wash over her as Kanji's hurried footfalls died away, but it was short-lived. A snarl from Mitsuo reminded her that she was still very much in danger—perhaps more danger than before.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he roared. He slapped her with the back of his hand, and Rise recoiled from the sting.

"I'm really sorry!" she sobbed, switching rapidly to helpless-female mode, "It's the only healing spell I know, and I was trying to help Kanji! I didn't know it would hurt the zombies!" _Get some fake tears going, and…bingo._ Mitsuo sighed and ran a hand through his hair distractedly.

"What am I going to do with you?" he wondered aloud, "I guess I don't really _need_ that big oaf around, but he would've been useful. I'll excuse your transgression just this once, Rise." He didn't apologize for hitting her, so Rise made a mental reminder to pay him back for it. Oh, she would pay him back for a _lot_ of things.

"Thank you," she said, forcing a fawning smile. "That treasure's still around here somewhere, you know. Do you want to keep looking?"

"Yes, of course. We shouldn't have to worry about monsters for a while, so let us continue. Lead on, my little treasure hunter." Rise bit back a gag and pulled her jacket more tightly around her. The situation was starting to look worse for her, but at least Kanji had gotten away. A bit belatedly, Rise realized that there wasn't really anywhere for him to go. _He'll think of something_, she told herself. _In the meantime, I guess I'll just have to stick with Mitsuo and watch my step. One more mistake, and…_ her imagination started to drift toward all the terrible things Mitsuo could, and no doubt would, do to her.

"Don't fall asleep on me now, Rise," the sky pirate warned. Rise snapped back to alertness and flashed him a brilliant smile.

"Sorry. I was trying to triangulate the coordinates of the treasure." _I hope that sounded smart. I'm not even sure if those were real words._

Mitsuo accepted this answer without complaint or question, to Rise's relief. It was not the first time, nor would it be the last, that Rise was thankful she could think on her feet. She was confident that she could keep herself alive until Kanji came to rescue her, and this confidence gave her courage. It didn't occur to her that Kanji _wouldn't_ come rescue her, because she knew that he wouldn't rest easily until they were back on the _Marukyu_.

Rise double-checked the location of the treasure, but it was difficult to know if they had taken the same path as before. It seemed different, but there was always the chance that she would take a wrong turn and they would be at another dead-end.

"Pardon the interruption, navigator, but I have a question for you." _Jeez, what is it now?_

"Yes, Captain Mitsuo?"

"You can sense traps, right? I mean, that seems like something you ought to be able to do."

"Of course I can. We haven't come across any yet, and we probably won't." That wasn't an entirely accurate guess; if some had bothered to hide treasure down here, there was a good chance that they had set up traps as well. Rise wasn't sure why had she had lied (or rather, given a false guess). Perhaps it was the beginning of her revenge, and she would just have to see how events unfolded from there.

"Well, I was just making sure."

They walked further into the cavern, and Rise was starting to wish she had invested in an outfit that offered more protection against the cold. Mitsuo and his zombies seemed unaffected by the continual temperature drop, so Rise refused to complain about it. To take her mind off the cold, she forced herself to focus intensely on their surroundings. No monsters were in sight, and the treasure had yet to move from its location. However, Rise started to sense something else. It wasn't a monster exactly, but it sure wasn't treasure. It reminded her of something she had sensed before, but no matter how hard she concentrated she couldn't get a clearer reading on it. The source of the strange signal happened to be near the treasure, so Rise resolved to keep an eye on it and perhaps investigate it when they were closer to the area.

"…Are we almost there?" Mitsuo asked after a few more minutes of silence.

"Yes, actually. We're getting close now." To be honest, she had nearly forgotten about the treasure since she had picked up the mysterious whatever-it-was. They were getting to closer to it as well, but Rise wasn't sure how she would be able to check it out without drawing MItsuo's attention. Again, she didn't know why, but she didn't want him to know about it. She ran through a mental series of scenarios, but all inevitably involved Mitsuo leaving a handful of zombies to keep an eye on her while he went to get the treasure. Rise was nearly on the brink of giving up when a trap suddenly showed up on her radar. It was the kind that, when triggered, would cause a miniature cave-in. Multiple things happened in succession: she opened her mouth to warn Mitsuo, thought better of it, darted forward, and, in a bout of impulsiveness that would have made Kanji proud, Rise stepped on the trap and continued running forward. Before Mitsuo and his crew could react, there was a large heap of boulders between them and Rise.

"Rise! What the heck happened?"

"I can't believe it!" she yelled, "A trap slipped under my radar! Do you think you can clear the boulders?" _Wow, why aren't I an actress?_

"Probably," Mitsuo called, "But it'll take some time. Don't do anything dangerous!"

"Hurry!"

Rise had no intention of sitting and waiting for Mitsuo to dig her out. She was very close now to the strange energy source, and she was determined to find out what it was in the brief time window she had made for herself. She moved as quickly as she could in the darkness, taking care not to trip. A sprained ankle or broken leg would seriously hinder her mobility.

When she figured she was close enough to reach out and touch whatever was giving of the weird signal, Rise sensed a sudden shift in atmosphere. Her mental radar blinked out for a minute, and when it came back it was different. The treasure was no longer there, and neither were Mitsuo and his crew. Instead, all Rise could sense was one…_something_ a few feet away from her. She couldn't see what it was, of course, and for the moment it didn't seem like a threat.

"Hey there!" a girlish voice called. It sounded like it came from the strange thing on her radar.

_Jeez, what an annoying voice. Does anyone really sound like that?_

"Mitsuo'll probably be coming pretty soon, so we'd better wrap this up quick," the voice continued, "You okay with that?"

"Um, sure. What are we supposed to be wrapping up?" Rise could sense that the speaker had started to move, but it was not yet doing anything dangerous. It was just pacing back and forth.

"What are we supposed to be wrapping up?" it repeated, its tone mocking, "Jeez, aren't you supposed to be the smart one? If only Kanji were here…he could protect you while you sat back and figured stuff out, right?"

"Yeah, well he's not here. I can handle myself pretty well, you know."

"I do know," the voice said with a high-pitched giggle, "I know a lot about you, Rise. I know that you're a useless little girl who can't do anything without her _man_ to back her up. What do you say to that, huh?"

"Hey, who do you think you are?" Rise demanded. Whoever or whatever that thing was, Rise was about to teach it a thing or two.

"I know who I am," the voice replied mysteriously, "But do you know who _you_ are? Rise the treasure hunter? Rise the actress? Rise the damsel in distress?" It started to giggle again. "So many faces…I'm surprised you can handle all of them at once. Seems like a big job for such a little girl…"

"Shut up!" Rise screamed. She noticed that her voice didn't echo, but it didn't seem like anything important so she stored the observation away to think about later.

"Aw, no need to get so defensive, sweetie," the voice crooned, "I want to avoid a fight as much as you do. I just wanna talk."

Rise didn't really like where the talk was going. What was this thing, and how did it know that much about her? She hadn't realized it before, but she was starting to get a clearer reading on the entity. She got a feeling of familiarity from it—it was like something she had known all her life, but somehow she couldn't place it.

"Are you trying to figure me out?" it guessed with another giggle, "That's so cool! What have you found out so far?"

"Nothing concrete," Rise admitted. She saw no harm in answering the question. "But you seem familiar. Have we met before?"

This question was answered with a hysterical laughing fit that last for several painful seconds.

"We've never met," the voice said, panting, "But you do know me. Heck, you know me as well as I know you! Do you know why?"

Rise was starting to get a sickening feeling in her stomach as the facts began to assemble themselves. They knew each other equally well, and her adversary seemed to know quite a bit. The treasure hunter remembered Kanji once telling her she had a voice like a mouse on helium, but at the time she had disregarded the comment as Kanji just being Kanji.

"Hey, you _are_ smart one! You figured it out!"

"Yeesh. I can't believe I actually sound like that," Rise muttered. She closed her ears to block out the ensuing laughter and waited for the other Rise to calm down.

"You've just met yourself, and that's all you can think about? That's so weird!"

"Well, what am I supposed to say?" she demanded, "I've never been in this situation before. What happens now?" They weren't really wrapping this up quickly, Rise realized.

"Well, here's how I see it," the other Rise said. Her voice had suddenly become businesslike and dark. "When Mitsuo manages to break through that pile of boulders, his first priority will be to find where Rise is. I'm going to be the one he finds."

Rise shivered at the last statement, and not from the cold. She paused, realizing that it wasn't even cold anymore. _How can that be? I must still be pretty far in the cave, unless she teleported us somewhere._ _But that can't be right, because the terrain is the same as before she appeared. _Something must have happened in the time after Rise encountered the mysterious energy and before the other Rise appeared. But what?

"You spend too much time thinking," the other Rise groaned, "Come on, already!"

Rise hadn't been prepared for a fight. Her best offense was her support magic, but she mostly used that to back Kanji up in fights. She had never tried to cast it on herself, but now was as good a time as any. Keeping an eye on the being in her radar, Rise began to cast Mighty Guard. That would be able to protect her against just about anything the other Rise tried.

"Haste!" the doppelganger cried. _Hey, that's not fair! How can she cast spells I don't know? Anyway, it looks like she's a time mage, which isn't good. I don't know that many offensive spells, and there's no way I could fight an opponent with Haste…_ Rise knew that she was wasting precious time trying to strategize.

"Too slow!" the other Rise cackled. Rise hadn't even sensed her come up from behind, and she just barely managed to duck to avoid being punched in the head. The treasure hunter moved away as quickly and as quietly as she could, and her doppelganger stayed where it was.

"Aw, you're running away? No fair!" She started to cast a spell, and Rise at last managed to get a look at her opponent as white light gathered at her feet. _She looks just like me…this is so weird! Wait a second—how is she casting white magic? I thought she was a time mage…?_

"Scan!" The white light vanished, leaving them in complete darkness once again. "You can't hide now," the other Rise taunted, "I can see everything!"

_What-_ Before Rise could finish the thought, something slammed into her stomach and knocked the wind out of her. That was only the precursor to a flurry of attacks, though, and Rise knew that she was only kept alive by the Mighty Guard spell she had cast earlier. One final kick left her limp on the ground, her breathing had become ragged and the room felt like it was spinning.

"Wait a second," Rise gasped. She could tell that the other her was about to start another onslaught, but she wanted to clear some things up.

"I told you I wanted to wrap this up quickly," the other Rise warned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll make it quick. What happened to the treasure?"

"Whoops! My bad." The treasure reappeared on Rise's mental radar, but if anything that only made her more suspicious.

"Something feels wrong," Rise continued. "The atmosphere is different. It isn't cold anymore, and sound doesn't echo. Where are we?" It was almost as if…

"Jeez, I told you you think too much."

"We're not in the real world," Rise realized aloud, ignoring her doppelganger. "I don't know where we are, but it must be some place where you have control, which is why the treasure chest reappeared. Which means that I can escape if I can just beat you!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm winning."

_I have a trick I can use, but I need to keep my focus while she's attacking me to pull it off._

"I'm not dead yet, am I?" the real Rise asked, "I thought you were in a hurry!"

A blue light appeared at her feet as she started to cast, and she did her best to concentrate on the spell in her mind. _Limit Glove…Limit Glove…_ Her previous spell might have faded by then, and she could tell that her opponent's Haste had worn off because her attacks had become slower.

"Come on, just _die_ already!" the doppelganger growled.

"Limit Glove!" It was a spell that could deal massive damage when the caster was in critical condition, which Rise realized she was. There was an explosion and a terrifying yell, then there was nothing.

"Is it over?" Rise asked. There was no reply, but all of a sudden she was freezing.

_You have done well…_

"What? Who's there?"

A strange figure that looked vaguely like a woman in a long, flowing white robe appeared before her. _Himiko_. She didn't know where the name came from, but it was suddenly in her mind. The woman reached for her head, and Rise felt something slip over it and rest around her neck.

_Summon me when you see fit._

Light flooded the room as Mitsuo arrived with his zombie crew. Rise jumped up and rejoined them, trying her best to act like nothing was wrong.

"You okay?" Mitsuo asked without much interest.

"Yeah. It's a good thing you were able to clear those rocks away."

"So where's the treasure?"

"Over there." Rise pointed, and Mitsuo walked over to the treasure chest and opened it.

"Wow!" he gasped, "It's filled to the brim with gil! Definitely worth it." He assigned a handful of zombies to be cargo carriers, and they began their long journey back to the surface. If Mitsuo noticed that Rise was quieter than usual, he didn't comment on it.

**?**

"Should this treasure hunter concern us?" Margaret asked as Rise's image faded from the crystal ball. Igor sat back in his blue velvet chair and sighed.

"Not at the moment," he murmured, "Besides, we ought not get involved any further… She is starting to get nervous. I do hope they will all play their part accordingly. The only one we must keep an eye on for now is the thief, for he will be the one to lead them."

"About the thief," Margaret began uncertainly, "He seems to be in a bit of a predicament. If he knew how to summon his Persona, of course, the jail cell would be no problem…"

"Indeed," Igor replied, "Someone shall have to show him how. We _can_ help in that regard, Margaret my dear."

"We can? I thought that-"

"Yes. Not yet, though. We must wait until the time is right. He will grace the Velvet Room once again in fourteen days, if my predictions are correct. And what do we know about my predictions, Margaret?"

"They are always correct, Igor."

"Exactly, my dear."


	10. Chapter 10

Well, it's that time again everyone. Thanks again for the reviews/comments!

Yeah, so I think I'm going to start making the updates a bit shorter. I knew the chapters were long, but when I type them out everything is spaced out nicely so it doesn't occur to me that here it just looks like a massive wall of text. Plus, shorter chapters will make it easier to keep up with this update pace.

Anyway, this chapter takes place two weeks after the last one. It might be a little confusing at first, but I hope it isn't too bad. Also, Kinshiro Morooka!

I don't own Persona 4, Persona 3, or Final Fantasy.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Hangar Bay**

"Hey, I'm goin' home," Cid announced. He stretched and let a pencil fall from his loosened grip. It clattered to the floor, but neither he nor Naoto felt energetic enough to retrieve it.

They had been working on Teddie's design practically nonstop since Naoto had returned, and they were rapidly nearing its completion. Cid's temporary position as leader of the Amagian kingdom caused only minor distractions, fortunately. The blueprints were all completed, and they had begun constructing the main skeletal structure of the body. The moogle himself was still unaware of the big project, and at that moment he was snoozing peacefully in the corner.

"You comin'?" the older engineer asked. He grabbed his worn gray coat and held it over his shoulder with one hand; the other lit a cigarette that he held between his lips.

"I want to continue working," Naoto replied. "Would you mind taking him with you?" She nodded to Teddie.

"Sure thing. Don't stay up too late, kid. Nanako'll start to worry about ya." His cigarette lit, Cid walked over to Teddie and grabbed the robot moogle by the head with his free hand.

"I won't be long," Naoto promised.

"Here's this, just in case." Cid tossed his house key onto the desk. "That way we won't have to stay up for ya."

The young engineer examined the key idly. It wasn't anything special, just a small brass key that had the word 'HOUSE' scribbled on it in pen.

"Thank you," she called, "Though I really won't be long—I promise."

The door closed, and Naoto breathed a sigh of relief. She had always felt that she operated better when she worked alone, and this project was no exception. Cid was undoubtedly a brilliant engineer, but every once in a while he made bizarre mistakes that even a child wouldn't commit. Teddie good for ferrying materials around, but his incessant commentary always made the engineers question whether his flaws outweighed his assets.

Naoto fully intended to make good on her promise: she was only going to make a few minor adjustments to the existing model and call it a day. No sooner had she settled down to work than there was a pounding knock on the door.

Well, that was most strange. Cid had exited through the door that led right out to the streets, and the knock came from the door between the hangar bay and the rest of the castle. Who in the world would come down here at this hour?

"Open up!" someone barked from the other side of the door. Naoto complied, though she could not quite quell her sense of unease.

A large group of soldiers stood on there, all standing behind a short man that Naoto had never seen in her life. He had an unusual haircut, and his face could only be described as incredibly ugly. The man smiled, which certainly did nothing to improve his appearance.

"Are you Naoto?" he demanded with a nasty sneer.

"Yes, I am. Do you have some business here?"

"Watch your tone, you little shit. Do you know who I am?" He crossed his arms.

"Clearly someone with an inflated sense of self-importance. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Naoto grasped the door handle and started to pull it shut, but man grabbed it and wrenched it back open.

"The name's Kinshiro, asshole. And I'm in charge now, since the princess has been gone for ten days. It's a law, look it up."

Naoto had no intention of doing so; she had heard of Kinshiro. He was the king's top advisor for some reason or another, and apparently he was next-in-line for authority after Princess Yukiko.

"It's been… an experience to meet you, sir. Now, if _you'll excuse me_…"

"We're not fuckin' done here, so just calm down. Yer comin' with us, and if ya try to fight back…well, let's just say it won't be pleasant. Comprende?" He jabbed a finger into Naoto's collarbone threateningly.

"Have I done something wrong? I don't understand…" Naoto cast a nervous look around while her mind worked rapidly, but she could not recall any transgressions.

"Yer a filthy Imperial traitor. Take him to the dungeons, and let the little bastard rot there." Kinshiro nodded to the herd of soldiers and sauntered away, ignoring the engineer's loud protests.

**Velvet Room**

"Welcome back, young man," a familiar voice called. "I'm glad to see you were able to carry out the hunt."

Yosuke opened his eyes wearily. He was once again back on the strange boat, and Igor and Margaret were sitting across from him.

"'Bout time you guys showed up," he muttered, stretching his arms, "I finished that job two weeks ago!"

"Yes, very admirable," Igor said. "Unfortunately, it would seem that you were unable to keep a firm grip on the reward."

"Er, about that…can I get a refund?" Yosuke knew it was a long shot, but he figured he might as well ask. Igor stared at him for a moment with his large, unblinking eyes, and then he started laughing. It was a chilling cackle that echoed around the ship for many seconds after the laughter died off, which only made it all the more unsettling.

"Absolutely not," the white-haired man said. "Perhaps you have forgotten the words of the contract? You will be responsible for your own actions."

"But I-"

"That is enough, young man. I did not bring you here to engage in petty arguments, but rather to help you learn something useful. Are you prepared?" Igor and Margaret shared a significant look, though the meaning was lost on the thief.

Before Yosuke could respond, the Velvet Room started spinning. Only Yosuke's chair remained still, and when the spinning stopped, Igor and Margaret were gone. In their spot sat a tall man with gray hair and an all-too-familiar face.

"Souji? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was wondering that myself, actually." Souji stood up and looked around the ship with a critical eye, one hand on his hip.

"Oh, uh, this is the Velvet Room."

"I figured that. It isn't mine, though, which means that it must be yours. But why in the world would you…?" Yosuke frowned. Souji had one too? Was that significant, or was it just a coincidence? Or was it both?

"If you have one, I can only assume that means you have some connection to Shadows. Is that true?" Souji demanded sharply.

"Um, yeah," Yosuke replied nervously. He scratched the back of his head and continued, "That Margaret lady sent me on a hunt, and it turned out that the thing I was hunting was in the Konishi Vineyard. Remember that place, Souji?" Yosuke realized he was rambling due to nervousness, and he felt incredibly stupid. As much as he hated to admit it, Souji was probably the one person he would ever care about trying to impress, and here was letting his mouth run like an idiot.

"I do," the other man replied, "Saki and Naoki's family owned it, right? Wonder why a Shadow took up residence there…It's not important, I suppose. What's important is that you've gotten involved, for some reason. Igor must be getting impatient, but why?" Souji stared at Yosuke, clearly expecting an answer, but Yosuke didn't have one to give.

"So, did you sign the contract?" Souji continued, "Who am I kidding, of course you did. He must have offered you money…was it a lot?"

"Five hundred thousand," Yosuke whispered, squirming a bit. He knew what the next question would be, but he didn't want to answer it.

"And what exactly would you do with that kind of money? I honestly don't think they understand the value of gil, otherwise they wouldn't be so flippant with it." Souji sat back down in the seat and leaned forward, staring at Yosuke intensely.

"I, er, sorta lost it," the thief muttered. "Not _lost _it, exactly, but…you know. It kinda got taken from me when I got arrested."

Souji was silent for a moment, but that didn't stop Yosuke from feeling the waves of condescension.

"You lost it?" The gray-haired man looked down at the table, and he was clearly trying to sound as patient as possible.

"I said it was-"

"You no longer have it, which is all that matters. I'm going to guess that you have no idea what you've gotten into, which isn't surprising. I'll also go ahead and assume that you don't yet understand the kind of power you now possess." He nodded to the ring on Yosuke's finger. Yosuke squinted at it, but he still couldn't see what exactly the ring was supposed to _do_.

"Idiot," Souji said with a knowing smile. "Watch." He stood and pushed his chair to the side of the ship, then returned to where it had previously been. The watch on his wrist began to glow.

"What the hell…?" Yosuke whispered. Souji smirked and closed his eyes.

"Just watch."

Yosuke felt the ring grow warmer in response to Souji's watch, and suddenly the gray-haired man's eyes flew open.

"Izanagi!" he roared. A humanoid figure appeared out of thin air; it wore a long black coat and carried a gigantic sword. Yosuke had the feeling that his mouth was gaping open, but he didn't care. Whatever Souji had just done, it was totally awesome.

"Thunder," Souji commanded quietly. The creature nodded, and a bolt of lightning struck right in front of the thief, who jumped back in fear and surprise. The light blinded him for a few seconds, and when he regained his eyesight the being was gone.

"What _was _that?" he demanded.

"It's a Persona," Souji explained. "Shadows are special creatures, Yosuke. They take a different form depending on who can conquer them, and these unique forms are called Personas. As you can see," he said, indicating the gems on his watch, "I have two. They both came from Shadows that had…well, that I came across."

"What's the other one?" Yosuke couldn't wait to try his out, but first he wanted to see Souji's.

Souji sighed and closed his eyes once more.

"Shiva!"

A womanly figure appeared this time. She had blue skin and hair, and her clothes didn't leave much to the imagination. Yosuke whistled, and both Souji and Shiva cast him disapproving looks.

"That was inappropriate," Souji remarked after calling Shiva back. "I hope for your Persona's sake that if it's humanoid, it's male."

"It is, I think," Yosuke said. "I'm not really sure how to describe it…"

"Why bother with words when you can show me the real thing? I might as well teach you how to use it, as long as I'm here."

Yosuke sat up straight in his chair and leaned forward attentively. Souji grinned at his enthusiasm.

"Now then," he began, like a school teacher speaking to a child, "The first thing you must keep in mind is that Personas are intelligent beings. They aren't like the monsters you could find in the sewers or running around out in the plains; they may be even more intelligent than we are. That being said, you should take care to form a kind of bond with your Persona. If they trust you, they will be more willing to lend you their power. Are you understanding so far?"

"Yeah," Yosuke said. This wasn't nearly as exciting as he'd hoped it would be. Trust? He didn't have time for that sort of thing. He just wanted to see what his Persona could _do_.

"You're looking impatient," Souji remarked drily. "Listen, this is going to take a while. You aren't magically gifted, so it will be difficult for you to figure out how to search for the Persona. Why don't you just practice for now? Close your eyes and try to concentrate on nothing at all."

"If you say so, dude," the thief grumbled. He followed Souji's directions, closing his eyes and trying to not think about anything. It was easier said than done; errant thoughts and worries kept cropping up when Yosuke least expected them, breaking his concentration each time. He sat there for nearly two hours in anguished frustration before Souji sought to intervene.

"Take a break," he commanded gently, "You won't be doing yourself any favors if you try to force your mind to be empty."

"Did you have to go through this too?" Yosuke asked.

"No. It's actually very easy for me to summon them." _Christ_, Yosuke thought darkly,_ The worst part is that I know he's just being honest. Souji's not the type to brag._

"How lucky for you," he muttered.

"I suppose," Souji agreed. "I can't imagine what it must be like to start from scratch. Are you ready to try again?"

"Hell yeah."

**Velvet Room**

It took two more hours and a few more breaks before Yosuke was at last able to completely clear his head for longer than a minute or two. Souji smiled as the ring on the thief's finger began to glow, for he knew that meant Yosuke had managed to contact his Persona. He could see his friend's eyes moving rapidly beneath his eyelids, and every once in a while Yosuke's fingers twitched. This lasted for no more than a few minutes. The green light around the ring died away and Yosuke opened his eyes sleepily.

"Wow," he muttered. "That was crazy." Despite his exhaustion, the thief was grinning broadly, now that he knew of the power he could access.

"Why don't you try it out?" Souji suggested. "You might as well."

Yosuke nodded eagerly and closed his eyes, trying to reach out to his Persona once again.

"Jirayai," he whispered reverently.

**Velvet Room**

"And that's all there is to it," Souji concluded.

Yosuke stared in amazement at Jiraiya, who floated before him. It might not have been as intimidating as Izanagi or as…impressive as Shiva, but Yosuke still felt a sense of pride when he saw Jiraiya.

"Yosuke, I know I can't do anything to stop you from getting involved now, but just promise me something," Souji said. "Don't get in over your head, alright?"

"Sure thing," the thief replied distractedly. He couldn't think of anything to do with his Persona, so he just sent it back into the ring. "Oh, and Souji?"

The gray-haired man raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Yes?"

"Uh, thanks. For everything, I mean. I never really got a chance to say it back then, and now seems like a good time." Yosuke scratched his head in embarrassment and turned away. Souji just laughed.

"Don't let it trouble you, Yosuke. I was the one who left without saying goodbye, so if anyone's got anything to say, it's me. Sorry." He didn't look at all embarrassed to say that, which made Yosuke feel all the more foolish.

"Yeah, we were kinda pissed about that," the thief said wryly, "Anyway, um, bye." Souji nodded and waved. The Velvet Room began to fade, and the next thing Yosuke knew, he was waking up in his jail cell.

"Pleasant dreams?" Biggs asked dully.

"Yeah, you could say that." Yosuke looked down at his ring and smiled.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Hangar Bay**

The lights were already on when Cid walked into the hangar bay, which struck him at once as suspicious.

"Naoto?" he called. There was no response. Teddie peeked out from behind Cid's leg curiously, but he didn't sit still for long. The small robot zipped on into the hangar bay, completely oblivious to his creator's unease.

"Mister Naoto!" Teddie called, "You sure got here early! Mister Naoto?"

"I don't think he's here, Ted," Cid said. The house key was on the desk, but there was no note explaining Naoto's absence. The engineer frowned and tried to figure out where on earth his apprentice could be. Naoto wasn't the sort to just leave on a whim, but Cid couldn't think of any reason why he would be missing.

"Did he run to grab some supplies?' he wondered aloud. If Naoto had gotten here early, perhaps he decided to run and grab some materials or something. That could explain why the lights were on; Naoto must have thought the trip would be short enough that leaving the lights on wouldn't waste that much energy. And, since he wouldn't need the house key anymore, he had just put it back on the desk.

"Mister Cid? Where's Mister Naoto?" Teddie asked.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Cid replied. "I'm guessin' he went out to buy some stuff. He oughta be back soon, Teddie." The robot's pompom drooped in disappointment.

"Well, off to sleep with ya. I gotta get to work." Cid flicked the switch on Teddie's back and the robot shut down immediately. The engineer grabbed the blueprints and started to look them over, trying to see what Naoto had wanted to stay late to accomplish. His apprentice had only scrawled in minor adjustments, so Cid dragged out the incomplete body frame and continued to work on it.

_The bipedal motion shouldn't be hard to configure,_ Cid thought, equations and ideas whirring around in his brain by the dozen, _But what about the senses? That moogle body is only equipped with sight and hearing. Is there a way to incorporate the other three?_ He sketched a few small doodles on a piece of scratch paper, and then crumpled up the paper and tossed it over his shoulder.

"You'd better watch where you're throwin' things, _Cid_." The unwelcome visitor's voice brought to mind an image of a sneer that showed off a mouthful of terrible teeth.

"Kinshiro," Cid growled, the pencil in his hand snapping due to his hand's unconscious clenching.

"What a mess," Kinshiro sniffed, walking over to the work table to give it a disdainful glare. "Don't tell me you actually work here?"

"I _was_ workin'."

"Cute, Cid. Cute." The balding man peered at the blueprint, but decided it was beneath his attention. He wrinkled his nose at the engineer in disgust and crossed his arms.

"Don't be coy, Kinshiro," Cid said, his voice low, "Ya must've come 'ere fer a reason."

"Why did that brainless royal brat leave you in charge?" Kinshiro spat. "She knows that I'm the king's most trusted advisor!"

"Well," Cid drawled, leaning back in his work chair, "She tol' _me_ that she'd only be gone fer a few days. It was nothin' major, so she must've figgered I could handle everythin'. After all, why disturb the high 'n' mighty Kinshiro?"

"Anyway," Kinshiro said, ignoring the gibe, "I only came to this dump to tell ya that I'm in charge now, due to _Her Majesty's_ 'prolonged absence'. It's in the law, books, you know—law number-"

"Spare me the damn legalities, I couldn't care less. Now get out."

"I'd love to, believe me. However, there's one more thing we need to talk about. You'll hafta come with me."

"I don't-" Cid began angrily, but stopped when Kinshiro cast a significant glance over his shoulder. Half a dozen armed guards had entered the hangar during the discussion and now stood at attention.

"You were saying?" Kinshiro sneered, arching an eyebrow.

"There had better be a _really_ good reason fer this," Cid snarled.


	11. Chapter 11

...Thanks for the review, Xoraan.

Anyway, this is the second half of the 'two weeks later' bit. Sorry the update's so late. Writer's block can be a bitch, and I admit that I haven't proof-read this chapter yet. Matter of fact, I typed it around midnight, so it's no doubt full of typos and things that don't make sense. Sorry.

The next installment ought to be up in a few days, and...well, it's a dramatic one. Also, a predictable meeting will occur!

Don't own persona 3, persona 4, or final fantasy. (I learned how do to those nifty page separator things!)

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><p><strong>Inaba, Adachi: Palace<strong>

The sound of static filled the room, much to Souji's aggravation. He had had little success with his radio interception, though he was certain that he had built it correctly. Whenever he did pick something up, more often than not it was just idle banter between bored Imperial airship pilots. He wasn't sure how far the range extended, but by his calculations it ought to pick up signals from as far away as Amagi. His brow creased in concentration as he fiddled with the dials, trying to find something, _anything_, useful.

"kkkkk…ring…"

Souji stopped twisting the dial immediately and switched his hand to the volume control. It was faint, and he didn't recognize the voice, which could possibly mean that the speaker was Amagian or a Port Islander. He brought the interceptor up to his ear and listened as closely as he could to the ensuing conversation.

"Don….omplain…..Could…..worse," a new voice said.

"Bingo," Souji chuckled in triumph. He adjusted the dial ever-so-slightly, and in doing so improved the reception a great deal.

"Yeah, I could be down there with King Moron," the first speaker said with a dry laugh. "Did you hear that he's arrested ten people since taking over?"

"Ten?" the other said, "I think that's a new record."

"Yeah." Souji could assume from the voice pitch that both speakers were men, but he could not guess their ages. Young, perhaps, but probably older than him. Not that it mattered, of course.

"It's too bad about Cid, ain't it?" the first man continued, "Got arrested just this morning; seems like they got his apprentice last night…something about being an Imperial spy. King Moron sure is one paranoid little asshole, eh?"

"Shhh," the second warned, "Never know who's listening in. Could be you next, ya know."

"Hmph." The first man let out a slow exhale. "At this rate, the dungeons'll be flooded by the time the princess gets back. I sure as hell don't envy her on account of all that paperwork…" His voice faded and the connection was lost, so Souji switched the machine off and set it on his desk. The airships must have moved out of his range, but he had heard what he'd wanted to hear.

"Any luck today?" Minato asked sleepily. He floated over to Souji's side, his one visible eye gazing at him curiously.

"I was very lucky today, Minato," Souji murmured. "You and I are going to take a little trip soon. Do you feel up to it?"

"Is this because of your dream last night?" the ghost asked. Souji had told him all about the visit to Yosuke's Velvet Room as soon as he'd awoken.

"Partly," Souji admitted. "Mostly it has to do with a part of my past that I've been trying to forget for eight years."

"I'm in," Minato said. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll have to speak with Princess Yukiko first, though. If you'll excuse me." Without waiting for Minato's reply, Souji got up and left in search of the princess. It wasn't often that he left her alone, but Chie had been getting restless so Yukiko had offered to spend the day with her bodyguard for a change. A soldier he passed in the hallway informed him that the two of them were in the palace garden, and when Souji got there he discovered that the soldier's report had been accurate.

"Excuse me," he said, walking up to them. They both turned to him in surprise, though Chie's expression looked a little more annoyed than surprised.

"What's up?" the bodyguard asked.

"I'm afraid there's been a power shift in Amagi," Souji began carefully. "From what I understand of Amagian law, the post of temporary leadership only lasts for two weeks. After that, the person next in line for power would take over. In this case, the honor belongs to-"

"Kinshiro," Princess Yukiko finished, to Souji's relief. He had only heard the man referred to as 'King Moron', and he was certain that couldn't be the man's real name.

"Yes, Kinshiro. He seems to be causing quite a stir back at the palace…"

Princess Yukiko sighed. "Yes, that's not surprising. I don't understand _why_ my father trusts him so much, but he must have his reasons. Has he done anything…irreparable?"

"He has arrested your chief engineer, I believe," Souji replied. "Not 'irreparable' by any means, but…" He paused and waited for the princess to see where he was going. Chie just watched the conversation blankly; Souji doubted she even knew what they were talking about.

"Yes, something ought to be done," Princess Yukiko murmured, biting her lower lip in worry. "I suppose I could intervene, since I outrank Kinshiro, but the emperor has been quite firm in insisting that I stay here."

"That does indeed present a problem." Souji knew he couldn't seem to hasty in offering his services here, otherwise the princess might get suspicious.

"You seem awfully smug, Souji," Princess Yukiko said. "Do you have any ideas?"

Souji forced himself to remain calm, but he was secretly furious that she had noticed his demeanor. He looked down to appear hesitant before replying in a slow, controlled voice. "If you can't go there yourself, you could send someone to go in your place."

Her reaction was anything but expected. "So that's your plan, is it?" she demanded, "Listen to me, Souji. Chie is staying right here with me, so I'm afraid you'll just have to think of a cleverer way to get rid of her."

"Wait, what?" Souji and Chie asked in unison. They looked at one another, then over at the princess.

"Princess Yukiko, that was not my intention at all," Souji said with a gentle laugh. "Actually, I was going to propose that _I_ go in your place."

"You?" the princess repeated, "Why you? I mean, I appreciate the offer, but-"

"Cid is an old acquaintance of mine," he assured her. "I guess you could say we have some catching up to do."

"Well, in that case…if you're sure it's no trouble…" Princess Yukiko flushed in embarrassment from her accusation and looked down at the grass.

"No trouble at all, I assure you. I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning, and all you'll have to do is write some sort of official-looking letter for me to give to Kinshiro."

"Yes, of course. I'll begin writing one right away." The princess beamed up at him—Souji couldn't recall seeing her look that happy. He bowed low and turned to leave. As he was exiting the garden, he heard Chie suddenly say, "Wait, you thought he was trying to get rid of me!" Souji chuckled a bit to himself and shook his head. At least some things never changed.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Escapade**

Kanji had to admit, Taro certainly knew his stuff. The deliveryman had gotten to a white mage right away and had even given Kanji some money before leaving to finish his rounds.

"_If you need a place to relax,"_ Taro had said, _"There's an establishment not too far from here. They take care of their customers and don't ask questions, so if I were you I'd check it out."_

Kanji had followed his advice as soon as he felt up to it. Escapade was a tavern nestled in the far corner of Yasogami, an apparently it had a reputation of being a bit shady. Kanji had initially hoped that if he waited there long enough, he'd find someone who could help him get an airship. After two weeks, though, he was no closer to finding one than he had been the first day. He didn't want to risk going elsewhere, knowing that there was quite a sizeable price on his head that many people would only be too happy to try to claim. Unfortunately, that left sky pirates as the most likely form of transportation, but Kanji sure as hell didn't want to go that route unless he had to.

"Back again, eh?" one of the waitresses asked when he walked through Escapade's door.

"Damn straight," he growled. "You know what I drink and where to find me." Kanji climbed the stairs to the second floor and went to a table in the far back; he had essentially marked it as his territory since arriving. It gave him a good view of people coming into the tavern.

The treasure hunter put his feet up on the table and grabbed a newspaper, though he kept one eye on the door the whole time. The waitress put his drink on his table presently, and Kanji fished a handful of gil out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Thanks," he said, though he didn't look up from the paper.

"Hey," the waitress began. Kanji looked up in interest—she never stopped to have a conversation.

"You're looking for someone, right?" she asked.

"Somethin' like that that."

"Well, rumor is Kinshiro's in charge of the city now. We're prob'ly gonna see a bunch o' people for a while, so keep your eyes peeled. That's all."

"Oh…uh, thanks again." The waitress arched an eyebrow expectantly and looked at the pile of gil. Kanji sighed. He put a few more gil on the table and glared at the waitress.

"Happy now, ya damn harpy?" he snarled.

"Always a pleasure, sir."

Kanji grunted in reply and returned to the paper. _Dunno who this 'Kinshiro' is,_ he thought, _but I'd oughtta wait an' see if she's tellin' the truth. _He glanced up at the sky. _Hang on just a little bit longer, Rise…_

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle Dungeon**

The silver ring glinted temptingly on Yosuke's finger, so he sat on his hand in order to refrain from answering its siren's call. He had to wait for the right moment to use it, otherwise he would end up causing too much of a hullabaloo and wind up in even more trouble. He was pretty sure escaping from prison was a bit worse than stealing a few gil here and there.

"You've been awful quite," Biggs remarked. "Somethin' on your mind?"

"Nope," the thief replied innocently. "Anything on yours?"

"Naw, 's as empty as usual," Biggs replied with a large grin. "You know, you were probably lucky you were arrested before this whole mess with King Moron started." That name was completely foreign to Yosuke, but he was sure that his look of complete confusion covered that well.

"Oh, that's Kinshiro," the guard explained. "He's in charge now…some boring crap about food chains or something. Anyway, he's been arresting people left and right and assigning them outrageous sentences."

Kinshiro…the name still didn't ring any bells. Still, he didn't seem like the type Yosuke would_ want_ to know.

"Like who?" he asked out of simple curiosity. He couldn't do much until Wedge showed up anyway, so he might was well find out what was going on outside.

"Hmm…I don't think I could list everyone he's arrested so far," Biggs said. "You heard of Naoto? He's a pretty well-known guy, for an engineer. Real ladies' man, I've heard."

"You mean Cid's apprentice?" Yosuke asked. Biggs' description was accurate up until that last bit; Naoto had seemed less like a ladies' man than Teddie.

"Yeah, that's the one. The idiot's got an Imperial accent, and that's the first thing Kinshiro looks for when he's fishin' for spies. The kid's locked up somewhere in the lower level, and he's not takin' it well." The burly guard chuckled. "He was throwing one hell of a tantrum when they brought'im in here."

"Wish I could've seen it," Yosuke muttered. He could imagine Naoto's indignation at being arrested under such ridiculous pretenses.

"Me too," Biggs growled, glaring at Yosuke. The thief sighed and retreated back to the corner of his cell. That was the problem with talking to Biggs—Yosuke never knew when they were getting along or not. Often he thought they were doing just fine, and then the guard would pull something like that and get angry. Fortunately, Wedge's familiar footsteps could be heard from down the dungeon hallway.

"I swear, your breaks keep gettin' longer and longer," Biggs called angrily.

"Sorry," Wedge replied, "King Moron's getting more and more demanding of the people not on duty. I've been polishing cannon balls for the past three hours…"

"Heh," Biggs laughed, "You sure love your balls, Wedge." The blue-haired guard waited until he was closer before rolling his eyes to ensure that his friend saw him.

"Really funny, man," he said. "Seriously, though, you'd better get up there quick. Don't keep his moronship waiting."

"Yeah, yeah. Later, jackass," Biggs added, addressing the thief. Wedge took his usual stance, leaning against the cell with some book.

"You pissed him off again, I see," the guard murmured.

"Guess so," Yosuke replied with a humorless laugh. He didn't want to converse with Wedge, he wanted him to get engrossed in his book so Yosuke could concentrate on summoning Jiraiya. He hadn't wanted to attempt it with Biggs, because the brown-haired guard was made of sterner stuff than his slimmer friend. All Yosuke needed to do was knock Wedge out for a few minutes so that he could grab his key, and then he could get the hell out."

"Tell me about your friend," Wedge said. Yosuke was certain the guard hadn't read a single word in that book."

"Which friend?"

"The girl; you know, the one who knocked Biggs out with one hit." Yosuke hadn't heard that story, but he could guess from that description that Wedge was referring to Chie.

"Dude, if you've seen her fight, you know pretty much all there is to know. She's crazy-strong, and also just plain crazy." _Come on, you asshole, READ!_

"Yeah, but…" Wedge gulped audibly, which Yosuke could only assume meant that he was nervous. "Is she…you know, involved?"

"Like, in a gang? No way, dude. Chie hates gangs." The thief was determined to end this conversation as quickly as possible, so he hoped that his answers were succinct enough.

"No, that's not what I meant." Wedge scratched his head and closed the book. _Shit shit shit shit noooooo_, Yosuke mentally wailed, _Get that book back out you son of a bitch!_

"I mean…is she, like seeing someone?"

"Like a doctor? No, but she probably should." Yeah, Yosuke could actually understand that question. He'd been trying to convince Chie to visit some sort of psychiatrist for _years_, but as usual his pleas fell on deaf ears.

"So she's single?" Wedge asked hopefully.

"Oh, _that's _what you meant? Shit, why didn't you just say so? Um…" Yosuke scrutinized the scrawny guard before him. There was no way Chie could go for a guy like that, so it would be better to snip his hope in the bud…right? "She's got someone, dude. Sorry. I'll let her know you're interested, though." _Now for crying out loud, read your damn book!_

"Really…? I see." Wedge opened his mouth to add something else, but changed his mind before saying it. "Sorry to bother you," he muttered. He pulled his book back out.

_It's go time, Jiraiya_. Yosuke pressed his back against the cell and closed his eyes, searching for the summoning power within as Souji had taught him. It took him much less time than it had in the Velvet Room, which filled the thief with a sense of pride. He hadn't realized he'd come so far in such a short time. Jiraiya appeared before him in a matter of minutes, waiting to be commanded.

"Actually," Wedge said, "I was wondering-" He froze when he saw Jiraiya, and the book slipped out of his slackened grip.

"Aero!" Yosuke yelled. A magic tornado whipped around the guard, and Wedge dropped like a stone. The thief easily grabbed the cell key from the guard's belt, and with a gleeful cackle he unlocked his cell.

"Nothing personal," he said to the unconscious Wedge, "It's just that I figured you'd be easier to knock out than Biggs. Later, dude!"

First, he'd have to find his weapons and other equipment. Normally Yosuke kept a handful of thieving supplies on him, but they had confiscated that along with his money. He wasn't expecting to get his money back; that was just a loss he'd have to deal with.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Castle Dungeon**

No one had specifically been assigned to guard Naoto's cell. From what she'd heard from snippets of guards' conversations, they were a bit undermanned since Kinshiro had taken over. Apparently, he was quite the strict taskmaster. She wasn't complaining about the lack of a guard, of course, but she was a bit apprehensive about the whole situation. If she had to stay down in the dungeon much longer, they would learn that she was…well, a woman. Naoto couldn't imagine what sort of repercussions _that_ could have at this point, but she still wished to keep it a secret just the same.

"I wish I'd thought to bring my revolver," she muttered darkly. They hadn't even bothered to search her before throwing her into the cell, which led her to believe that Kinshiro was not very good at his job or at ordering people to do theirs.

"I wonder how long I'll be here," she mused aloud. "Treason is a crime punishable by death, but there is absolutely no evidence against me. They can't execute me, can they…?" For an instant, the fear of death settled on the young engineer like a cold fog. It was entirely possible, yet…surely someone would intervene before then. Cid had some power, did he not? He could certainly do something.

"I've heard that talking to yourself is the first sign of going crazy," a familiar voice said in the darkness. It was familiar, but Naoto couldn't quite recall to whom it belonged.

"I'm sure it's much worse to imagine hearing a voice other than one's own," she replied cautiously. "Who's there?"

"Man, you think you make an impression on a guy, and what does he do? Doesn't even recognize a master thief when he hears one." There was a light click from the direction of the cell door, and a hand in the dark grabbed the engineer's arm roughly and dragged her out of the cell. She could barely make out a spikey-haired silhouette in the darkness.

"Yosuke?" she asked, "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I came to rescue you, stupid. Figured I might as well, since I was in the neighborhood. I found my lockpick along with my weapons and stuff, so I thought I'd pay you a little visit."

"Oh, well, thank you. Really, I mean it." Naoto thought the whole situation very strange, but that didn't make her any less grateful. Yosuke must have his reasons for being, as he put it, 'in the neighborhood', but Naoto was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Aw, you're making me blush, '_ladies' man'_. Anyway, let's get outta here before any guards show up. I know a back way out, so just hold onto my sleeve or something." Naoto obeyed, grabbing hold of the thief's jacket and following him down into the darkness. She wondered why he would know a back way out of the castle dungeons, and it occurred to her that this thief was a lot more interesting than she had first assumed. He, and perhaps that woman, Chie, must know a great deal about the city that Naoto had never even thought to explore. It occurred to the engineer, a bit belatedly, that Yosuke had called her a ladies' man. She wasn't sure where he had heard that, but it wasn't exactly an uncommon rumor. Naoto just decided to ignore it, as she often did, and hope that it died down on its own.

"Say, Yosuke?" she said.

"What's up?"

"Where exactly are we going?"

"Right now, we're going to the poorer district of Yasogami. I figured we could crash at my place for a bit before deciding what to do next." It was a sound plan, and Naoto could think no better place at the moment. Cid's place was no doubt off-limits, since there were few places to hide in that area of the city. She hoped it was safe to assume that Yosuke knew as much about the city's layout as he did the dungeon's.

"Hey, don't worry kid. We'll be fine."

"Yes, I-" Naoto hesitated, because she wasn't quite sure if it was the right thing to say or not. "I trust you, Yosuke."

"Ha, you'd better. I've got a feeling it'll only get crazier from here on out."

**Inaba, Adachi: Palace**

"You're bringing Masamune?" Minato asked as Souji packed for his trip. The katana in question lay beside the suitcase on Souji's bed, which seemed to answer Minato's question for him.

"That is correct," Souji said. "I anticipate some trouble there. There may be some Shadows there we'll have to deal with, after all."

"So _that's_ why you wanted me to come…" Minato murmured. His uncanny ability sense Shadows who disguised themselves as ordinary citizens would no doubt be very useful in the coming journey."

"I apologize if you assumed it was for your charm and conversational abilities," the gray-haired man quipped with a smirk. "We have not yet traveled to Amagi, and I'm sure we'll run into a Shadow or two. I'd rather be prepared."

"So why not leave it in the suitcase?" the ghost asked. Minato was often a lot sharper than Souji gave him credit for, and this was one of the times where he wished the ghost would just shut up and go to sleep.

"I may need it as a show of force, and as a weapon if it comes down to that," he said, "Both for Kinshiro…and for Cid."

"For Cid? What exactly are the two of you going to be talking about?" Minato once again brushed the hair out his eyes, a gesture they both knew to be futile.

"I don't intend to talk long." Souji knew he must have looked grim, because Minato looked less spacey for a brief moment. His gray eyes narrowed in concern.

"Don't tell me…" he whispered.

"You've guessed it," Souji said dully. "I don't really intend to talk to Cid about much. I intend to kill him."


	12. Chapter 12

Sigh...another long chapter. I guess I'm bad with at keeping my word?

Anyway, thanks for the reviews/comments, and I apologize for the belated update. I can't promise that this trend won't continue, but I'll do my best to keep updating. I haven't felt like working on it much, mostly because I've sort of started a new project (not a fanfic) and I also started and finished '9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors' recently. Amazing game, but wow...it completely fried my brain. I was also trying to play through FFIV to see if there was a certain scene from that I could use, but no dice.

Not much going on in this one, but I do give you guys a bit of a hint on Cid. It's not my favorite chapter, and I'm pretty sure I could have done a better job on it if I weren't trying to write it at midnight. Enough excuses, though-On with the chapter!

I don't own the Persona series nor the Final Fantasy series.

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><p><strong>Inaba, Adachi: Palace Hangar Bay<strong>

Minato disliked airships. From the fragmented bits of memory he could recall, he was able to piece together that he had often travelled by airship in his youth as his various relatives passed him around. He couldn't remember much about them though; they just filled him with a sense of sadness and loneliness.

"Something wrong?" Souji asked. He was sitting at the helm of the Imperial airship, and the pair was getting prepared to leave for Yasogami.

"I don't care much for airships," Minato replied quietly. "Bad memories, I guess. I can only recall a few trips, but I have a feeling there were quite a few." He didn't like admitting it, but his memory was becoming increasingly worse with each passing day. Souji still kept pressing him for a contact they could use in Port Island, but try as he might Minato was completely at a loss.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the gray-haired man murmured. He sounded genuinely concerned. "I guess I should have asked if you were okay with them, but this whole trip was rather spur-of-the-moment." He offered a crooked smile by way of apology, and Minato returned it half-heartedly.

He was beginning to worry for his friend. Souji, like Minato, liked to play his cards close to his chest and enjoyed his secrets. However, the ghost felt that he was entitled to know why they were going to a foreign region to release a man that Souji claimed to be acquainted with. Souji wasn't often prone to spontaneity, though it was clear that he had some plan in mind. And apparently there was something concerning this 'Cid' that Souji had been planning for some time now.

"I hope the moogle team did a good job with this thing," Souji mumbled as he pressed a button that caused the airship to roar to life. "I'm not good enough with airships to know what goes where, so I had to trust them to do it." Minato grinned a little, sensing the disgust in Souji's voice at having to both admit a fault and to trust others to do something for him. Again, he could relate.

"I'm surprised you know how to pilot an airship," the ghost said, "I mean, I guess I shouldn't be. You and I…we have a lot in common."

"What makes you say that?" Souji asked, his eyebrow arching curiously. They had not yet left the hangar bay, despite someone contacting them numerous times on the radio to tell them they were okay to take off.

"Well…forget it." Minato didn't want to admit that he had already forgotten what he'd been thinking before saying that. He looked around suddenly, his shaggy hair falling out his his eyes for a brief instant.

"I don't care much for airships," he grumbled.

Souji laughed. "Don't worry. We'll be there before you know it."

**Yasogami, Amagi: Yosuke's House**

Bright sunlight filtered through poorly-shuttered windows woke Yosuke from a troubled, dreamless sleep. It took him a moment to remember where he was, since he had fully expected to find himself in a jail cell once again. He smiled at the reassuring comfort of his mattress and blanket, the events of the previous day trickling back into his mind. As quietly as he could, he snuck over to his doorway and checked the room across the hall. Naoto was sleeping fitfully on his parents' bed, and Yosuke decided to let the kid sleep a little bit longer. He crept to his dresser and took out a map of the city he had purchased many years ago.

"I know where it is," he muttered, placing his finger on a building in the northeast corner of the map, "But how do we get there without attracting too much attention?" The thief grabbed a quill and vial of ink and sat down at his desk, preparing a route through the city.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been working before he heard Naoto stirring to wakefulness. Yosuke leaned back in his chair and objectively surveyed his handiwork. There were a few mistakes he'd made along the way, but he was fairly satisfied with the end product.

"What time is it?" he heard Naoto call sleepily from his parents' room.

"Somewhere between dawn and dusk," Yosuke called back cheekily.

The blue-clad engineer appeared in his doorway to give Yosuke a dark glare, so the thief quickly whirled back around on his stool to focus again on the map.

"You know what I meant," Naoto growled. "What are you doing, anyway?" Curiosity apparently took priority over anger. Before Yosuke could begin to formulate a reply, the engineer was at his side, examining the map over his shoulder.

"What's that?" the younger man asked, pointing to the building Yosuke had marked on his map.

"Jeez, Naoto! Give me a chance to talk before you barge into my room." Naoto offered no apology for the intrusion, but Yosuke had to admit that he hadn't really expected one. He heaved a melodramatic sigh.

"That's where we're going today, if you're up for it."

"Oh?" It was an ambiguous response, and apparently it was all he was going to say.

"Uh, yeah. I mean, I don't know if we're, like, wanted criminals now or anything, but I figured we're better off safe than sorry."

"So why here?" Naoto tapped the map with his forefinger, casting a critical eye at Yosuke's shoddy path-making.

"It's a bar," the thief replied bluntly. "They've got a pretty shady reputation when it comes to criminals, so it'd be a good place to lie low for a while. Got any better ideas?"

Naoto shook his head with a definite air of reluctance. Yosuke felt his shoulders sag in relief; he got the feeling that Naoto enjoyed being smarter than him. He considered this a personal victory, regardless of its significance in the overall scheme of things.

"So when do we leave?" the engineer demanded. Straight to the point, as always.

"What, that's it? You don't want to know anything else?"

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Well," Yosuke hesitated, trying to think of anything relevant. He knew quite a bit about that particular place, but he knew that Naoto would consider most of that knowledge trivial. "It's, um, called _Escapade_," he muttered lamely.

"I see." Yosuke had no idea of that guy was able to pack a speech's worth of condescension into two little words. It must be a gift.

"In case we get separated or something," he explained in a rush. "You'll know if you get to the right place or not."

"…I see." The same words, but this time Yosuke could hear the grudging respect behind them. He knew it was stupid, but he felt proud that he had come up with a legitimate explanation.

"So what are we waiting for?" Naoto asked. "Let's go." He rolled up the map and stuffed it into his sleeve.

Yosuke sighed at the younger man's impatience and grabbed his knives and other thieving equipment from his nightstand. This was going to be a long, tedious trip.

**Sky: Imperial Airship**

Souji felt nervous apprehension grip his stomach as he piloted the airship toward the Amagian capitol. It was feeling that bordered on fear, but he forced himself to remain as calm as possible. Minato floated serenely on his right, completely oblivious to the gray-haired man's constant struggle to keep from turning the airship around and returning to Inaba. Or, at least he _seemed_ completely oblivious.

"There's something bothering you," the ghost observed absently. "Care to talk about it?" Souji should have known that Minato would notice. He always behaved in such an absentminded manner that Souji often forgot or damn perceptive he could be.

"It's about Cid," Souji muttered through gritted teeth. "The thought of seeing him again…it almost makes me sick."

"Is that so?" The question almost sounded like polite indifference, but Souji knew better. Minato was carefully measuring his tone and response, despite appearing to be asleep.

"Yes. I know I sounded confident last night, but as the encounter approaches I can't help but feel apprehensive. I'm mostly worried about my cousin…I'd have to leave her with my parents, but that's not exactly a fate I'd wish on anyone." Minato opened his eyes a crack and watched Souji with slight interest. For good reason, too—Souji never talked about his parents, not even when pressed on the issue. The gray-haired man sighed.

"They aren't exactly stellar guardians," he explained. "They're perfectly nice people, but they travel a lot and aren't sure how to deal with children. I mostly had to raise myself when I was young."

"So why put your cousin in that situation?" Minato asked. "Do you need to kill Cid that badly?"

"You tell me," Souji replied cryptically. "Before I met you, I was willing to let him to continue to live out his lie." He could imagine the gears whirring rapidly as Minato processed this miniscule clue. It didn't take long for the blue-haired phantom to figure it out.

"I see," he mused solemnly. "I'm sorry for forcing you into this situation, then."

"Don't be," Souji replied, waving his hand as though to physically brush off the apology, "It would inevitably come down to this anyway. That decision was made for me eight years ago…" His voice trailed off as his mind momentarily left the present to travel down a memory he did not relish revisiting.

"At least your parents are still alive," Minato said dully, perhaps sensing a subject change was in order. "Mine are dead…I think." He scrunched his eyes in concentration and scratched his head, no doubt trying to coax more memories out of his unwilling mind.

"Anything?" Souji asked. He wasn't expecting much, and he was certainly surprised when Minato's visible eye shot open and he stood up straight out of shock and revelation.

"Aigis," he announced suddenly. "You can talk to Aigis." The ghost blinked a few times rapidly, then settled back into his usual slouch.

"Who the hell is Aigis?" Souji demanded. Minato gave him a look that was blank with a capital 'B'.

"I couldn't tell you," he replied, "Why do you ask?"

_You can't be serious_, Souji thought irritably. Just when he finally thought there was a breakthrough on the memory front…Minato had to go and disappoint him.

**Yasogami, Amagi: City Streets**

Yosuke led Naoto through the winding streets of the capital, taking care to go take every backstreet and alleyway he knew. He didn't once need to consult the map, to his pride, and if the engineer was impressed by the thief's knowledge of the sprawling city, he kept it to himself. Not that Yosuke had expected any different.

They didn't pass any 'Wanted' posters with their names or faces, which was a good sign. Furthermore, they managed to avoid detection, though both would accredit it to different reasons. Yosuke claimed it was because of his instinct and skill, and Naoto pointed out that there was a low chance that there was much of a fuss about them yet, since they had only escaped the day before.

"Whatever," Yosuke scoffed, "All the soldiers know who I am. You just don't want to admit that you needed my help."

"This is the place?" Naoto asked, ignoring Yosuke's comment. They had indeed arrived at _Escapade_.

"Uh, yeah." Yosuke was relieved that he didn't have to think of another retort, but it was short-lived as he remembered why this was. Chie never let him get the last word in an argument; despite their frequent disagreements, Yosuke realized he would rather be here with his aggressive friend than with the uncommunicative Naoto.

"Is there a problem?" the other man asked, pulling Yosuke out of his reminiscing.

"Sorry," Yosuke said with a wry grin, "Let's go inside."

**Yasogami, Amagi: **_**Escapade**_

_Escapade_ was hardly how Naoto had imagined it would be. Yosuke had mentioned that it had a questionable reputation, so she had assumed that it would be some sort of shady place full of battle-scarred sky pirates and murderers. To her surprise (which she hid well) it was a respectable-looking establishment. The floors were clean, the patrons were all chatting amicably, and none of them looked like a criminal.

"Are you certain this is the right place?" she asked Yosuke quietly. He seemed amused by her question.

"Yep," he answered cheerfully, "We're going up top, though."

Up top? Naoto followed Yosuke's gaze and saw a staircase that led up to a loft. It was a small area, and it looked fairly empty from her angle. One person up there grabbed her immediate attention, however: there was a vaguely familiar, large blond man sitting near the wall who was keenly staring at the pair. He looked away quickly when he met Naoto's eyes, and she got the feeling he'd been watching them since they'd walked in. He didn't glance their way again, but Naoto had the feeling it was a struggle for him not to do so.

Yosuke exchanged greetings with various people as they threaded their way through the crowded bar oblivious to their observer, but Naoto ignored them and kept her eyes trained on the loft and tried to ignore the fact that they were being carefully watched. She could deal with that issue after they climbed the stairs.

What would their next move be? The longer they stayed in the kingdom, the greater danger they would be in. Yet, she had to get back to Cid to make sure everything was all right, and that meant going back into the castle. Kinshiro probably had men out looking for them already; or, he had them out looking for _her_, at least. Yosuke probably got imprisoned and escaped all the time.

"Well, Yosuke, what's our next move?" she finally decided to broach the subject, but the thief didn't reply, to Naoto's irritation. He had apparently at last noticed the blond man in the loft.

"I… think I've seen that guy," Yosuke murmured, more to himself than to Naoto, "But why?"

"I recognize him as well," Naoto replied quietly. Yosuke shot her a curious glance.

"Really? That's weird." Naoto had to agree, it was indeed that they would both recognize someone.

"I somehow get the feeling that it's not natural to see him alone," Yosuke continued, lost in thought. His comment triggered some switch in Naoto's brain, and she knew immediately why she recognized him.

"It's Kanji," she said as softly as she could. "But Rise isn't here." Kanji the 'Treasure Hunter'…how had she not realized it at once? There were 'Wanted' posters of both him and his female accomplice hanging all over the city, for various misdeeds and illegal activities. The fact that he had been watching them with unwavering attention was certainly cause for alarm, and Naoto had no doubt that even alone Kanji was more than a match for the two of them.

Yosuke, guided by some imperceptible, incredible force, walked right up to the man and started talking to him.

"You're Kanji, right?" he asked, "The famous sky pirate?" Naoto winced at the mistake. It was an understandable error, but those who knew the difference would not take such confusion well. Kanji stared back at Yosuke for a full minute before replying in a voice that was barely distinguishable from the snarl of a monster.

"Excuse me?" he snarled, "I'm a _treasure hunter_. Don't confuse me for assholes like that." He jerked his thumb at a group of sky pirates at the next table. One shot him a nasty look, which Kanji returned with gusto. Confrontation was avoided.

"Oh yeah," Yosuke said, "I've heard of you. You have a partner, right?" He was a little bit slower on the uptake than Naoto had been, and it sounded he was trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice but was doing a poor job. Yosuke looked around the loft, perhaps under the impression that he had overlooked Kanji's well-known partner, but she wasn't there. Naoto didn't know much about Rise; she was said to be less violent, though Naoto thought that she could hardly imagine someone _more_ violent than the man sitting there. Though he hadn't done more than scare a sky pirate with a single look, he had a menacing presence.

"…Tha's right," the treasure hunter muttered, looking back at the table. He seemed to be waiting for the next inevitable question, so Naoto took it upon herself to ask.

"Where is she?" The rumors circulating around the pair were many and often ridiculous, but the one rumor that was taken to be fact was that the pair was inseparable.

Kanji squirmed a bit, clearly uncomfortable with the way the conversation was going.

"She ain't here," he said at last. Naoto tried to share an exasperated look with Yosuke, but the thief was off in his own world again. _What is with him?_ she thought darkly. It looked like she would have to take control over this conversation. That would give her a chance to ask why he'd been watching them, since it seemed that Yosuke had completely forgotten about that.

"According to rumor, it's unusual to see one of you without the other. Is she nearby?"

Kanji shook his head miserably. His colossal hands alternated between squeezing and releasing his mug, his muscles bulging formidably each time. She wasn't sure how to proceed, but fortunately Kanji was willing to continue.

"I gotta go help her," he said, voice so low that she had to strain to hear him properly, "But I don't know how." Naoto supposed she could consider that admirable, though she had yet to hear the circumstances surrounding Kanji's predicament.

"Did you guys fight or something?" Yosuke piped up. Naoto would have kicked him for his lack of tact had there been a subtle way to do so.

"Naw, 's nothin' like that," the other man replied. "We, erm, got captured. Rise helped me escape, and I ended up here." He looked away sheepishly, as though he knew that it sounded pathetic.

Kanji's character fell considerably in Naoto's eyes with that statement. As far as she was concerned, he seemed to be a criminal who was solely concerned with saving his own neck. She prepared to tell Yosuke that she believed they should go elsewhere, but the thief was not yet done with Kanji. He seemed to see the treasure hunter's story in a different light.

"So you wanna rescue her now, right?" he guessed, his eyes narrowed.

"Course I do." Kanji looked up at Yosuke, no doubt sensing a challenge.

"What are you waiting for? Only a coward would wait this long before-"

"Who the hell are you callin' a coward? I will beat the shit outta you right now if you wanna see which one o' us is the coward!" Kanji rose to his feet, though he was a bit unsteady due to the affects of whatever alcoholic beverage he had been drinking beforehand.

Before Naoto could point out that violence would prove absolutely nothing, Yosuke resumed his taunting, undaunted by the threat.

"Beat the shit out of me?" he asked lightly. "You couldn't even beat the shit out of whoever captured you. You know, I'd heard that you were one of the strongest sky pirates in the world, but it seems like that was just a rumor." He sighed sadly and shook his head. Naoto thought she could begin to see where he was going, and she was ashamed that he would stoop to such tactics. Not to mention that he was on unbelievably thin ice, taunting a man like that. Her fears were not unfounded.

Kanji had leapt out his chair so quickly that neither Naoto nor Yosuke had any time to react before Yosuke found himself slammed up against the wall. The large man had one hand clenched around the thief's neck, and Yosuke's desperate attempts to remove it were unsuccessful.

"You don't know what I've been through," Kanji growled. He leaned in until his nose was mere centimeters away from Yosuke's, and it was possibly a miracle that the thief didn't break down and cry out of fear. It certainly looked like he wanted to. "You think I'm still here 'cause I'm scared? I would get her right now if I only had a damn airship!"

Yosuke caught Naoto's eye, much to her dismay. His thought process was clear enough: he had helped her escape from prison, so she owed him a debt of gratitude.

"I could assist you in that regard," she declared. Naoto sincerely hoped that she wasn't making a gargantuan mistake. Kanji dropped the thief, leaving him gasping on the ground, and whirled to face her.

"Ya could?" he asked incredulously, "How?"

"He's an engineer," Yosuke rasped, "Works in the castle."

"However, there are multiple implications," Naoto began quickly before Kanji could get his hopes up. "I would need to get permission from the man I work for, which would mean I would have to return to the castle…" Naoto's voice faded as she realized the danger she would have to face for a complete stranger.

"And that's where I come in," the thief announced. "As you've no doubt noticed, I know every back street and shortcut in the city." The engineer resisted the urge to groan— she'd had enough of Yosuke's shortcuts.

"Relax!" he assured her quickly, "You won't have to walk around town! There's a sewer passageway that'll take you straight to the hangar bay! Besides," Yosuke added before Naoto could interject, "You owe me." Naoto's nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists, wishing dearly that she could be back in that jail cell. Anywhere, under any circumstances, would be better than this.

"Could I speak to you for a moment?" she hissed. Yosuke shrugged and followed her back down to the main level.

"What exactly are you planning?" Naoto demanded when she believed they were safely out of Kanji's hearing, "What interest do you have in this venture?"

"Naoto, he's a _treasure_ hunter." Yosuke was using an infuriatingly patronizing tone, as though trying to explain a simple concept to a child. "You know what the reward for helping a treasure hunter is? I'll give you a hint: it starts with 'tr' and rhymes with-"

"You're just doing this for your own gain." Why had she expected any different?

"Of course I am! No self-respecting thief would do anything else." Yosuke crossed his arms defensively and raised his eyebrows incredulously.

Naoto could not think of any response to that that wouldn't reveal her naiveté. Yosuke could apparently see nothing wrong with his plan, and took the engineer's shocked silence for disgruntled acceptance.

"Here, I'll draw you a map of the sewer," he said, grabbing a napkin from a nearby table.

"Wait a moment," she said, interrupting his sketching. A thought had just occurred to her. "When you helped me get out of prison, how much of that decision was based on knowing I would repay you?"

"All of it." No hesitation whatsoever.

Naoto wasn't sure how that made her feel. Angry? No, she wasn't angry; she could never remember being truly angry with someone. In this case, she was just disappointed.

"Here you are," the thief proclaimed, handing her his rough drawing of the city's underground. He had labeled the nearest entrance to _Escapade_ and had drawn a clear route to the castle's hangar bay.

"You are too kind," Naoto remarked drily, stowing the paper away in her pocket. "What do you intend to do in the meantime?"

**Yasogami, Amagi: **_**Escapade**_

Yosuke hadn't been expecting that question. He was content to plan ahead when it came to things like treasure, but he had no immediate plan for the future now that he had figured out how to procure the airship.

"Uh," he began, trying desperately to think of something to do, "I guess I hadn't really considered that." He twisted the silver ring unconsciously, dying to try it out again in a more open environment.

"I have a proposal," Naoto said. "Why don't you and Kanji practice fighting together? I'm sure his style is different from Chie's, and I don't doubt that you could use the practice." Yosuke winced, knowing that the engineer was referring to the fight against the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"Yeah, I'll think about it," he replied. He had no intention of doing so, and Naoto probably knew that.

"I'm glad to hear it," the engineer said. "You know," he added as an afterthought, "Cid might not even let me borrow one of the airships. What then?"

"Then I'll think of something else." That was clear enough to Yosuke. He never bothered with backup plans—he was more of an on-the-spot thinker. Naoto shrugged, most likely in disgust, at his simplicity and went on his way to the sewers. As soon as the engineer was out the door, Yosuke heaved a sigh of relief. Hanging around Naoto was more stressful than it was worth.

**Yasogami, Amagi: **_**Escapade**_

"Your friends left."

Kanji frowned. He didn't recognize the voice, but he was sure it couldn't be addressing him. He turned around and found that he was face-to-face with the gang of sky pirates he had insulted earlier.

"Were you talkin' to me?" he asked, honestly confused.

"Do you see anyone else up here, treasure hunter?" It was true—there was no one else up in the loft.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me," he muttered. "Uh, listen. Those guys weren't my friends. Hell, I hadn't even met them before they came in and started talkin' to me." When he said it like that, Kanji realized that that sounded like a very weak explanation.

"You think you can take us all on at once?" one of the pirates sneered, ignoring what Kanji had said. Somewhere along the way the decision to fight had been made for him. Not that he minded.

The blond man scoffed. "I can take on a hundred o' you guys before breakfast. Try me." His well-trained mind had already run through a number of fighting scenarios on this loft, just in case there was an altercation with another criminal. This would be a cakewalk.

They hesitated a bit after seeing the confidence in his eyes, but they reassured themselves after remembering that they had strength in numbers.

The fight was over in a matter of seconds, and only a handful of the bar's patrons glanced up to see what the disturbance was. Kanji glared down rather proudly at his handiwork: a pile of unconscious sky pirates who would forever think twice before fighting a treasure hunter.

"Nothin' to it," he declared with a grin. A sharp whistle startled him, and Kanji raised his fists expectantly.

"I'm not gonna fight you," the man with spiky brown hair exclaimed, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. It was the man from before. "That was impressive, though. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Just picked it up, tha's all," the treasure hunter mumbled. He was highly embarrassed that somebody other than Rise was praising his fighting skill.

"You remind me of a friend of mine," the young man said kindly. "You should meet her sometime. I'm sure you'd have a lot to talk about."

"Why'd ya come back?" Kanji asked bluntly. He had assumed that the brown-haired man's role in the transaction was over. Once that blue-haired guy was back, Kanji would be good to go.

"I was thinking," he began uneasily, "I mean, you might need help when you go back to rescue your friend. So, how about it?"

"How about what?"

"I'll help you out, if you want. I'm not half-bad in a fight."

Kanji looked at him. The young man had a pair of knives secured loosely in his belt, and his armor was negligible. The treasure hunter knew that he'd have to work hard to protect both of them, which would be twice as difficult without Rise's support. Still, it wouldn't hurt to see the other man's potential.

"I'm Yosuke, by the way," the brown-haired man said awkwardly. "I'm a thief."

"Kanji. Treasure hunter." He knew that his introduction had already been made for him, but he still liked the sound of his name and profession. _Kanji, treasure hunter_.

"So I've heard," Yosuke remarked with a half-smile. "So, are you in?"

"Just one thing," Kanji said. "I wanna make sure you'd be good enough to stand on yer own."

The thief's eyes widened a great deal as he considered what those words could mean. He swallowed nervously and cautiously asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

"Jes' follow me," Kanji replied with a telltale cracking of his knuckles. He hadn't had a decent fight in a while, and he was itching to see if this Yosuke guy was any good.

**Yasogami, Amagi: Hangar Bay**

Souji emerged from the airship, feeling only a little bit better than before. A handful of guards greeted him in the hangar bay, and it was clear that they didn't know why he was there.

"I've come to speak with Kinshiro," he announced dramatically. "He has committed a great many wrongs and such transgressions will not go unpunished. I bring a letter from your princess," he added menacingly. The guards regarded him with suspicion, but at long last one of them left to go tell Kinshiro of his arrival. Souji ignored their stares and removed Masamune from its sheath, gazing at the blade almost reverently in the dim lighting.

"I wish it didn't have to come to this," he whispered. "But it's better now than never, isn't it?"


End file.
